The A. I. issue is moving fast, but the latest New York Times/Siena poll suggests it is not poised to be one of the most important issues in this year's midterm elections. Just a few months ago, it barely registered on the political scale.

Now A. I. data centers and safety are taking center stage in campaigns and Washington, with members of both parties debating regulation. However, less than 1 percent of voters said A.

I. or data centers were the most important issue in deciding their vote. This places it alongside second-tier issues like education and gun policy, not the defining national campaign issues like the economy or immigration. The most straightforward interpretation is that the issue is not quite ripe for national party politics: Voters, politicians and parties are still figuring out what they think.

Even over the last 10 days since the poll was finalized, concerns over A. I. security have erupted into a major policy issue with potential to become a political football. The landscape is changing rapidly, and polls are merely snapshots in time.

The story has probably already shifted since the poll was conducted. A. I. could still matter in individual races, especially down-ballot in areas where data center construction has become a meaningful local issue.

Over the medium-to-long term, A. I. could bring sweeping economic changes with enormous political repercussions across the developed world.