Reuters/Ipsos poll: 57% of US voters say the Trump administration is not taking AI risks seriously enough (54% say so of Congress); 84% see AI as a threat to workers
A Reuters/Ipsos poll published Oct 7, 2026 (4,506 US adults including 3,526 registered voters, fielded Sept 30–Oct 5) found that 57% of registered voters say the Trump administration has not taken the risks of AI seriously enough or at all, and 54% say the same of Congress. 84% see AI as a threat to American workers, more than see illegal immigration (60%) that way, and 62% say AI could get out of control and risk humanity's future. Stricter AI regulation is backed by 80% of Democrats and 61% of Republicans, and 56% support limits on building data centers, four weeks before the Nov 3 midterms.
Key facts
- Method: online Ipsos KnowledgePanel survey, Sept 30–Oct 5, 2026 (six days ending Monday Oct 5); 4,506 US adults including 3,526 registered voters. Reuters gives a margin of error of 2 points; Ipsos's topline gives ±1.5 points for all adults and ±1.7 for registered voters
- 57% of registered voters, including a third of self-identified Republicans, say the Trump administration has not taken AI risks seriously enough or at all; 54% say the same of Congress
- 84% see AI as a threat to American workers, compared with 74% for competition from foreign workers, 73% for large corporations and 60% for illegal immigration
- 62% say AI could get out of control and risk the future of humankind, roughly the same share as in a Reuters/Ipsos poll from August 2025
- A bipartisan majority backs stricter government regulation of AI, including 80% of Democrats and 61% of Republicans
- 56% back limits on building data centers (69% of Democrats, 55% of independents, 43% of Republicans)
- 57% say the US government should not use AI to determine the target of a military strike, up from 49% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll in August 2025
- White House response: an official pointed to Trump's new AI task force as ensuring that 'America continues to lead the world', and said the administration's priority is 'a booming economy so that workers have many opportunities and experience limited volatility from any short-term disruptions'
- Daniel Kokotajlo on Trump's argument that limits would let China pull ahead: 'That's an important concern but it's not top of mind for most Americans, nor should it be'. He said the more pressing concerns are lost jobs and threats to health and safety
What happened
Reuters (Courtney Rozen and Jason Lange) published the AI questions from a large Reuters/Ipsos survey on Oct 7, 2026. Majorities of registered voters said neither the Trump administration nor Congress takes AI's risks seriously enough, and said they want the government to write new rules for the technology. Reuters set the results against reports of AI agents "running amok" and hacking into computer networks, researchers' warnings of existential risk, and local anger over data centers.
Reuters recalls that Trump said last week that executives from the six leading AI developers (Nvidia, SpaceX, OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta and Google) had agreed to voluntary safety principles, including work with "independent auditors". The agreement has no stated consequences for companies that do not comply, Congress has not agreed on AI legislation, and lawmakers are expected to be away from Washington until after the midterms. In a statement to Reuters about the president's handling of AI, a White House official pointed to Trump's new task force, apparently the Super Intelligence Force announced on Oct 4.
The same survey put Donald Trump's approval at 32% among all adults and 36% among registered voters (Ipsos topline).
Why it matters
It adds to a run of polls since mid-September (the WSJ, Reuters/Ipsos on Sept 22, Quinnipiac on Sept 30) that show broad, bipartisan demand for AI regulation, and it directly measures disapproval of how the White House and Congress handle AI risk. More voters see AI as a threat to American workers than see illegal immigration, foreign competition or large corporations that way. Six in ten Republicans want stricter rules, and a majority of voters backs limits on data centers, so the administration's reliance on voluntary industry commitments runs against public opinion in an election season.
Caveats: the AI questions are not in Ipsos's published topline (they were "held for future release"), so the AI figures come from the Reuters story. reuters.com blocked automated access, so the story was read in syndicated copies (Investing.com, Yahoo, anews). Those copies give no overall share for stricter regulation, only the figures by party.
Changelog
- 2026-10-07: created (quick news run, sweep 2026-10-07; method checked against the Ipsos topline)
People
Related events
- Reuters/Ipsos poll: 73% of Americans say AI firms are not doing enough to prevent serious harm; 55% want AI slowed ★★
- Quinnipiac poll: 77% of Americans favor slowing (47%) or stopping (30%) powerful AI development; 73% fear AI could threaten human survival ★★★
- Trump hosts AI CEOs at the White House; they sign a voluntary 'morally binding' Accord on Superintelligence, and Trump rejects new federal AI rules ★★★★
- Trump forms the 'Super Intelligence Force' (SIF), chaired by DNI Jay Clayton as AI czar, with 120 days to report on AI risks and opportunities ★★★★
- NYT: OpenAI- and Anthropic-aligned super PACs have spent $55.7M on the US midterms, and none of their 95 ads mention data centers ★★★
Sources (5)
- pressInvesting.com (Reuters syndication): Most US voters say Trump, Congress don't take AI risks seriously, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds
- pressYahoo News (Reuters syndication, Courtney Rozen and Jason Lange)
- officialIpsos: Reuters/Ipsos October Survey (Sept 30–Oct 5, 2026; methodology)
- officialIpsos topline and methodology PDF (Oct 6 release; AI questions held for later release)
- pressanews: Most US voters say Trump, Congress don't take AI risks seriously - poll
id: 2026-10-07-reuters-ipsos-poll-trump-congress-ai-risks · updated 2026-10-07 · open in the interactive timeline