Our latest AI Pulse survey reveals a striking consensus among professionals: they want a pragmatic, balanced approach to AI development.
Even as concerns about the concentration of power in a few labs grow, the overwhelming majority are not calling for a halt to progress.
The data, from 53 respondents to The Artificial Intelligence Show’s informal weekly poll from Episode 180 of The Artificial Intelligence Show, suggests an audience sample that is clear-eyed about risks but rejects extremist positions, favoring a parallel path of innovation and control.
An Overwhelming Consensus in Favor of Balance
When asked about the primary focus for advanced AI development, audience sentiment was unambiguous.
This week, we asked: “What should be the primary focus for advanced AI development right now?”
A full 79.2% endorsed a "balanced approach, developing safety and capabilities in parallel." This pragmatic view massively overshadowed more extreme positions.
The next highest percentage of respondents, at 13.2%, believe the focus should be on "prioritizing safety, containment, and human control."
Very few support either "slowing development" (1.9%) or "accelerating capabilities" as fast as possible (3.8%).
Widespread Concern Over Concentrated Power in AI
This desire for balance doesn't come from a place of blind optimism. The data shows this audience sample is highly aware of the risks associated with who is building the technology.
We also asked: “Do you believe the concentration of power in a few major AI labs is a significant problem?”
A significant majority, 71.7% combined, believe the concentration of power in a few major AI labs is a problem.
This concern, however, is nuanced. The largest group (49.1%) sees this concentration as a problem but also "unavoidable for this level of innovation."
A further 22.6% view it more starkly as a "major risk to society and the economy."
Only a small fraction were unconcerned, with 17% believe concentration of power is not a problem and “competition between the labs is sufficient.” And 5.7% see concentration as "necessary to advance AI safety."
A Diverse Audience
This pragmatic sentiment, concern about power but a desire for balanced progress, is notable because it comes from a highly diverse group of professionals.
The respondent pool includes leaders from both ends of the spectrum. 30.2% are from very small organizations (1-9 employees) and 34% report revenues of $0-$1M.
Yet, the audience also includes a strong enterprise contingent, with 17% from organizations with over $1 billion in revenue and just over a third from companies with 1,000 or more employees.
Methodology and Audience Description
In our ongoing AI Pulse surveys, we gather insights from listeners of our podcast to get a sense of how our audience feels about various topics in artificial intelligence. Each survey is conducted over a one-week period, coinciding with the first seven days after an episode is released. During that time, our episodes typically receive around 11,000 downloads.
Our survey results reflect a self-selected sample of listeners who choose to participate, and typically we receive a few hundred responses. While this is not a formal or randomized survey, it offers a meaningful snapshot of how our engaged audience perceives AI-related issues.
In summary, when you see percentages in our headlines, they represent the views of those listeners who chose to share their opinions with us. This approach helps us understand the pulse of our community, even if it doesn’t represent a statistically randomized sample of the broader population.