Most Americans see AI as bad for society
The gist
An ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll of 2,545 U.S. adults found 57% say AI is bad for society and 42% say it is good.
The survey lands before the Nov. 3 midterms, with data centers and AI regulation now election issues.
How it unfolded
- Sep 29, 2026President Donald Trump held a press briefing with AI executives including Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk and Jensen Huang outside the West Wing after a meeting on artificial intelligence.
- Oct 9, 2026 –13, 2026The ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll surveyed 2,545 U.S. adults, with a margin of error of +/- 2 percentage points.
- Oct 21, 2026ABC News published the poll finding 57% of Americans say AI is bad for society and 42% say it is good; The Washington Post reported most Americans disapprove of Trump's handling of AI.