Axios Harris Poll 100: GOP embraces AI over Democrats

"OpenAI's reputational score was just 1 point higher among Republicans than Democrats in 2024, but that gap has widened to 12 points today. TikTok, Nvidia, Meta, X and other AI or AI-driven companies also show a widening partisan gap. Zoom in: AI companies aren't viewed equally - and those with narrower partisan gaps generally received higher reputational scores."

"Dario Amodei's Anthropic ranks No. 15 on the overall top 100 reputation ranking of the most visible brands in America, with a 1 point partisan gap. OpenAI ranks No. 68. Anthropic earlier this year infuriated the Trump administration when it refused to lift safeguards that prevent its technology from being used for mass domestic surveillance or autonomous weapons development."

"44% of Republicans say their opinion of AI has become more positive in the past year, compared with just 35% of Democrats. 40% of Democrats said they expect AI to greatly or somewhat harm their career opportunities and wages in the years to come, versus 32% of Republicans. The big picture: AI executives' own predictions of job disruptions are fueling Americans' apprehension. So are concerns over data centers, higher energy costs, AI misuse and federal government overreach."

"Because younger voters skew left, the shift also appears to reflect younger Americans' anxieties that AI is coming for entry-level jobs. The Harris Poll found that 42% of Gen Z respondents believe AI will harm job opportunities and wages for people like them, compared with 33% of millennials, 39% of Gen X and 37% of Baby Boomers. Millennials' relative confidence reflects a population already established in their jobs and generally more adept with tech skills than their elders."

OpenAI and other AI-driven companies show increasing differences in reputation between Republicans and Democrats. Companies with smaller partisan gaps tend to receive higher overall reputational scores. Anthropic ranks higher than OpenAI and has a much smaller partisan gap, while OpenAI ranks lower and has a larger gap. Public sentiment is shifting: more Republicans report more positive views of AI than Democrats. Democrats are more likely to expect AI to harm career opportunities and wages. These concerns are tied to predictions of job disruption, worries about data centers and energy costs, fears of AI misuse, and concerns about federal government overreach. Political signals from Trump may reassure some Republicans, while younger voters’ anxieties about entry-level job impacts are reflected in Gen Z views.

Read at Axios