TechNet/Morning Consult study reveals 70% of voters are concerned that China could win the race on AI; a large bipartisan majority believe that AI development policy should not be left to state and local governments 

Washington, D.C. —  TechNet, the national, bipartisan network of innovation economy CEOs and senior executives, today announced the results of a new poll showing that a bipartisan majority of voters prefer a single national AI development policy. The poll, conducted with Morning Consult, also revealed that a large majority of voters are concerned that China could win the race on AI and believe that AI development policy should not be left to state and local governments.  

“In 2025, over 1,000 AI bills have been introduced in state legislatures – many containing incompatible rules and requirements,” said TechNet CEO Linda Moore. “Americans understand what’s at stake and favor a single national policy to ensure responsible AI development so that we can mitigate the risks of artificial intelligence, reap the benefits of this powerful technology, and secure America’s leadership in innovation for generations to come.”

Key Findings: 

  • Most voters (55%) feel confident interacting with AI tools, and most (58%) are optimistic that AI tools will have a positive impact on their lives.
  • 70% of voters are concerned that China could beat the U.S. in AI development.
  • 67% think that a patchwork of state AI development laws instead of one national standard will make it harder for the U.S. to keep up.
  • After hearing about options for regulating AI development, 76% of voters prefer a single, national policy for developing AI models. 
  • 70% of voters believe that national standards for AI development will be crucial for compliance across state lines and can still allow states to address concerns related to their own residents.
  • 69% of voters believe that state and local governments do not have the technical knowledge or capacity to identify security vulnerabilities that their state AI development laws could create. 
  • 69% of voters believe that a patchwork of state AI development laws would entrench big AI developers and make it harder for startups and small AI companies to compete.
  • While support for a national AI development standard instead of a patchwork of state AI laws is strong across all political parties, Republicans are the most likely of all voters to believe a patchwork would make it harder for the U.S. to compete, believe that state and local governments do not have the expertise to regulate AI development, be optimistic about how AI will impact their lives, and believe the U.S. is leading in AI development.

Read the full survey results here:

Methodology

This survey was conducted between June 3-4 among a sample of 2,056 registered voters nationally. The interviews were conducted online and the data were weighted to approximate a target sample of registered voters based on gender, age, education, race/ethnicity, region, 2024 presidential vote, marital status, home ownership, and gender by child status. Results from the full survey have a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.