Survey: 76% of Americans say torturing sentient AI is wrong, 63% want AGI banned
jacyanthis · x · 2026-10-02
Jacy Anthis shares key findings from the AIMS survey (N=3,500, published at CHI 2025), the first detailed public opinion data on digital sentience:
- 76% of U.S. adults agree torturing sentient AIs is wrong
- 69% support banning sentient AI; 63% support banning smarter-than-human AI
- 1 in 5 believe some current AI systems are sentient; 38% support legal rights for sentient AI
- Median forecasts: sentient AI in 5 years, AGI in just 2
The authors argue building safe AI requires understanding how humans perceive and coexist with digital minds.
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