Half (50%) of U.S. adults say they are either very concerned (23%) or somewhat concerned (27%) about the possibility that AI will cause the end of humanity, a new YouGov survey finds. Another 39% of Americans say they're not very concerned (21%) or not at all concerned (17%) about an AI apocalypse, while 11% aren't sure.
Liberals are more likely than conservatives to say they're worried AI will wipe out humanity: 61% of liberals are at least somewhat concerned about this, compared to 44% of conservatives.
Most Americans (67%) say AI is advancing too quickly, and among this group 62% are very or somewhat concerned AI will cause the end of the human race. Concerns about an AI doomsday are around half as prevalent (32%) among the 21% of Americans who think AI is advancing at about the right pace, while 61% of them aren't very or at all concerned.
Almost no one (2%) says AI is advancing too slowly, but this survey of 18,238 U.S. adults was large enough to study even this tiny group: 24% are very or somewhat concerned about AI ending humanity, and 69% are not very or at all concerned.
YouGov asked an identical question in November 2023, and found lower levels of worry about AI ending humanity: 42% said they were very or somewhat worried then, compared to 50% now. (It has also been asked at times in between, including July 2026.)
That increase has been predominantly driven by liberals. In 2023, 42% of liberals were concerned about an AI apocalypse, similar to the 43% of moderates and 45% of conservatives who were. But today 61% of liberals worry about an AI apocalypse, a 19-point increase over less than three years. Concern among conservatives has barely changed: 44% now and 45% then. Moderates have become slightly more worried about AI ending humanity (49% now vs. 43% then).
YouGov's data on its panelists who have attended college shows that concern about AI causing the end of the human race is higher among those with degrees in fine arts (63%), social sciences (57%), or the humanities (56%) than it is among those with degrees in engineering (47%), computer science (46%), or math (44%).
YouGov asked a similarly worded question about whether Americans are concerned AI will cause mass unemployment. More Americans are very or somewhat worried about this than are worried AI will cause human extinction (72% vs. 50%). Worry that AI will cause mass unemployment is higher than concern about the end of humanity among liberals, moderates, and conservatives.
See the full results of this poll:
- Do you think AI is advancing too quickly or too slowly?
- How trustworthy, in general, do you rate the leaders of major AI companies?
- How concerned, if at all, are you about the possibility that AI will cause mass unemployment?
- How concerned, if at all, are you about the possibility that AI will cause the end of the human race on Earth?
Methodology: The Daily Questions survey was conducted online on September 11 - 14, 2026 among 18,294 U.S. adults. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, education, U.S. census region, and political party. The margin of error for the overall sample is approximately 1.0%.
Image: Getty (Ole_CNX)
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