Trump Supporters Favor Protecting Creatives Amid AI Concerns
A recent poll highlights that President Trump’s supporters are strongly in favor of protecting American creatives from the potential risks posed by artificial intelligence and “deepfakes.” This survey, released on Wednesday, shows that a significant majority of Trump voters are urging for more regulations in this area.
According to the poll, conducted by Global Strategy Group and North Star Opinion Research for the Human Arts Campaign, about 87% of Trump backers believe that AI developers should obtain permission from writers and artists before using their works to train for-profit AI models. They also think that there should be “effective guardrails” in place to prevent the misuse of such technology.
This poll comes on the heels of the Senate’s recent 99-1 decision to reject a decade-long ban on state AI regulations. Interestingly, it follows a report from the Washington Post about the use of AI software to replicate Marco Rubio’s voice and writing style, targeting various high-level US and foreign officials.
Around 88% of Trump voters expressed concerns about audio clones and deepfakes, while 84% supported the proposed No-Fakes Act. “Conservatives are clearly skeptical of what AI offers,” stated Moiya Mctier, a senior adviser to the Human Arts Campaign. They emphasize that Trump’s most ardent supporters seek meaningful protection against AI misuse and believe human creators should have control over their works.
Currently, AI companies are facing multiple lawsuits for allegedly scraping data from various sources without compensation. The poll found that 84% of Trump voters feel AI companies should pay a “market rate” for such data. Meanwhile, 81% expressed worries that the lack of legal protections could undermine the US economy.
Moreover, 80% of Trump supporters are concerned that adversaries, particularly China, are stealing American creative works to develop AI models. They agree that the US should take action against such practices to maintain a competitive edge in technology.
“The data indicates that Trump voters are genuinely worried about the misuse of AI, and there is a clear call for Washington to take action,” remarked Katie Drapcho, vice president of research at Global Strategy Group.
