U.S. Public Opinion on the Governance of Artificial Intelligence

Americans recognize AI governance as urgent but lack confidence in current institutions: The survey found that while the 2,000 respondents viewed all 13 AI governance challenges as important for companies and governments to address, they expressed only "low to moderate trust" in these institutions to actually manage AI applications responsibly.

Trust in institutions is critical to shaping AI regulation: The research confirms that public trust in governmental, corporate, and multistakeholder organizations plays a major role in determining how emerging technologies like AI will ultimately be regulated, suggesting that rebuilding institutional credibility is essential for effective governance.

The public sees AI governance as a shared responsibility: By examining attitudes toward governmental, corporate, and multistakeholder institutions separately, the study reveals that Americans don't view any single sector as solely responsible—indicating public expectation for collaborative oversight across multiple types of organizations.

There's a significant gap between perceived importance and institutional capability: The disconnect between Americans viewing governance challenges as important and their low-to-moderate trust in institutions to handle them suggests a credibility crisis that could undermine public acceptance of AI governance frameworks.