I agree that “regulation” may be easier to advocate for than a “pause”. Our results (see below) are in that direction, though the difference is perhaps not so big as one might imagine (and less stark than the “NIMBY” case), though I would expect this to depend on the details of the regulation and the pause and their presentation.
Pause on AI Research. Support for a pause on AI research outstrips opposition. We estimate that 51% of the population would support, 25% would oppose, 20% remain neutral, and 4% don’t know (compared to 58-61% support and 19-23% opposition across different framings in YouGov’s polls). Hence, support is robust across different framings and surveys. The slightly lower level of support in our survey may be explained by our somewhat more neutral framing.
Should AI be regulated (akin to the FDA)? Many more people think AI should be regulated than think it should not be. We estimate that 70% believe Yes, 21% believe No, and 9% don’t know.
I agree that “regulation” may be easier to advocate for than a “pause”. Our results (see below) are in that direction, though the difference is perhaps not so big as one might imagine (and less stark than the “NIMBY” case), though I would expect this to depend on the details of the regulation and the pause and their presentation.