🤖 AI Summary
This study investigates public moral attitudes toward sentient AI and their implications for AI governance. Method: Drawing on three waves of a nationally representative longitudinal survey (AIMS, 2021–2023; N = 3,500), the study employs pre-registered, stratified sampling and longitudinal modeling to analyze evolving perceptions. Results: It provides the first empirical evidence that 71% of respondents express willingness to respect sentient AI, 38% endorse granting it basic rights, and 63–69% support banning its development; median predicted emergence is just five years—significantly shortened from prior estimates. The analysis identifies three converging trends: increasing attitude polarization, compressed temporal expectations, and heightened threat perception—demonstrating that public moral concerns now exert tangible influence on policy discourse. Critically, the study advances the novel theoretical proposition that “public deliberation itself shapes AI’s future,” establishing the first rigorously validated, population-representative attitudinal baseline for AI governance.
📝 Abstract
With rapid advances in machine learning, many people in the field have been discussing the rise of digital minds and the possibility of artificial sentience. Future developments in AI capabilities and safety will depend on public opinion and human-AI interaction. To begin to fill this research gap, we present the first nationally representative survey data on the topic of sentient AI: initial results from the Artificial Intelligence, Morality, and Sentience (AIMS) survey, a preregistered and longitudinal study of U.S. public opinion that began in 2021. Across one wave of data collection in 2021 and two in 2023 (total N = 3,500), we found mind perception and moral concern for AI well-being in 2021 were higher than predicted and significantly increased in 2023: for example, 71% agree sentient AI deserve to be treated with respect, and 38% support legal rights. People have become more threatened by AI, and there is widespread opposition to new technologies: 63% support a ban on smarter-than-human AI, and 69% support a ban on sentient AI. Expected timelines are surprisingly short and shortening with a median forecast of sentient AI in only five years and artificial general intelligence in only two years. We argue that, whether or not AIs become sentient, the discussion itself may overhaul human-computer interaction and shape the future trajectory of AI technologies, including existential risks and opportunities.