New Verasight Poll Finds 63% of Americans Want AI Development to Slow Down

Verasight - Survey Results - Preferred Pace of AI Development

Verasight - Survey Results - AI vs Nuclear Weapons

Verasight - Survey Results - Favor or Oppose a Nearby Data Center

Survey finds half see AI and nuclear weapons as equal risks, 78% oppose data center near home, and most say AI companies should slow development pace themselves

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, UNITED STATES, October 5, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Verasight, a nonpartisan survey research firm that collects verified, representative survey responses, today released the findings of its latest AI and Technology Survey, revealing that Americans overwhelmingly want AI development to slow down, strongly oppose data centers being built near their homes, and want AI companies rather than the government to be responsible for slowing it. The nationwide poll found 63% want AI development to slow down, 78% oppose a large data center within 10 miles of their home, and 55% say AI companies themselves, rather than the government, should be responsible for slowing the pace.

On artificial intelligence, Americans favor safety over speed. Sixty-three percent say AI development should slow down, compared with just 5% who believe it should speed up. When asked to choose between two companies offering similar AI tools, 73% would choose the company that develops more slowly and spends more time on safety testing, even if its technology is somewhat less advanced. Just 12% would choose the company developing more advanced tools more quickly.

The belief that AI development should slow down is bipartisan: 75% of Democrats, 59% of independents and 51% of Republicans.

Concerns about AI safety also outweigh fears of losing ground to China. When asked which worries them more, 45% of Americans say AI being developed too quickly and causing serious harm, compared with 11% who are more concerned about the United States falling behind China. Another 36% say both concerns worry them equally.

Americans also put the long-term risks of AI on par with nuclear weapons. Half of respondents say AI and nuclear weapons pose about equal risks to humanity, while 24% say AI poses the greater risk and 23% say nuclear weapons pose the greater risk. Just 4% say neither poses a serious risk.

Americans are more likely to put responsibility on the industry than the government. Fifty-five percent say AI companies themselves should be responsible for slowing the pace of development, compared with 37% who say the government should be responsible.

"Americans are telling us they want the brakes applied, and they want the people building the technology to apply them," said Ben Leff, CEO and Co-Founder of Verasight. "Most Americans do not use the most advanced features of AI, so 73% choose the company that develops more slowly and spends more time on safety testing, even if its technology is somewhat less advanced."

The survey also finds widespread opposition to data center development close to home. Seventy-eight percent of Americans somewhat or strongly oppose a large data center being built within 10 miles of their home. At the same time, 55% say they would definitely or probably sell their own property to a data center company if offered twice its value, while 54% believe a local community should be able to block a neighbor's sale if most residents object.

Financial benefits can dramatically change public attitudes toward data center projects, but how that money is spent matters. When respondents were told a data center developer would invest $100 million in their community over ten years, 70% favored the project if the money were used to lower residents' electricity bills and 66% favored it if households received approximately $5,000 directly. Support fell to 55% if the money funded $50,000 bonuses for public school teachers, 53% if it went to police and fire departments and just 26% if it were given to local government to use without restrictions.

The full report is available at https://reports.verasight.io/r/2026-243-current-events-report.

Survey Methodology
The Verasight September 2026 National Survey was conducted from September 16 to September 21, 2026, among a nationally representative sample of 1,500 U.S. adults aged 18 and older. The data were weighted to national population benchmarks, and the margin of sampling error is +/- 2.6 percentage points.

About Verasight
Verasight is a nonpartisan survey research company founded to expand access to high-quality survey data. Built by researchers and methodologists, Verasight combines multi-mode recruitment, 100% in-house data collection, and continuous verification to ensure every response comes from a real person. Its infrastructure powers academic research, government studies, and national media coverage, including polling data for ABC News, The Associated Press, CBS News, CNN, FOX News Media, and NBC News.

Stephen Francy
Rubenstein PR
+1 212-805-3017
email us here
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn