How Popular Is A.I. With Voters? Not Very, a New Poll Finds. As fears grow about artificial intelligence, neither party has claimed an advantage, a New York Times/Siena poll found. But voters are united in opposition to data centers.

Less than two months before the midterms, 42 percent trusted Republicans more on A.I., while 40 percent trusted Democrats. Voters gave Democrats the edge on every other issue. The poll showed why candidates have turned against data centers: 61 percent opposed construction, including 75 percent of Democrats and 47 percent of Republicans. Younger voters were more opposed, with nearly 80 percent of those under 30 against.

The survey was conducted Sept. 8–13, as researchers warned of existential threats and executives like Dario Amodei of Anthropic called for a slowdown. Less than 1 percent said A.I. or data centers would decide their vote; the economy led. Data centers, which drive up electricity prices, have become a point of contention in dozens of states. Of opponents, 56 percent supported limits rather than a ban. Climate concerns were the top reason, cited by nearly a third, but Democrats were twice as likely as Republicans to cite environmental worries, while Republicans more often distrusted A.I. generally. Nearly one in five mentioned general distrust. One respondent cited “The Terminator.”

There has been little federal action. President Trump opposed guardrails, arguing regulations would hinder beating China. Speaker Mike Johnson also spoke against regulation, while some Democrats, especially progressives, issued urgent calls.