Poll finds more Americans expect AI to harm environment

What the poll found

More Americans believe artificial intelligence will have a negative environmental effect over the next decade than believe it will help the environment, an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll released Wednesday found.

The survey found that 47% of respondents expect AI to do “more to hurt” the environment. That result measures public expectations about AI’s future environmental impact rather than a documented change in environmental conditions.

The finding also addresses the overall direction of AI’s expected effect. It does not establish which environmental effects respondents had in mind when they answered or how strongly they held that view.

How to read the result

The poll places environmental concerns within the public discussion about AI’s development and use. Its central comparison is between Americans who expect the technology to cause more environmental harm and those who expect it to provide more environmental help during the coming decade.

The 47% figure represents respondents who chose the negative-impact answer. It should not be read as the share reporting that AI has already harmed the environment, because the question concerned what the technology will do in the future.

The result is a measure of opinion, not an environmental forecast or a policy decision. Future surveys can show whether expectations change as AI technology expands and its environmental effects become clearer.