The nonprofit Collective Intelligence Project polled 1,000 American adults, and the results are a little awkward for democracy. 56% of respondents said they trust an AI chatbot to look out for their interests — beating both elected officials and big corporations.
But trust only goes so far. About half of respondents want AI to help with community calls like taxes and permits, yet just 3.7% are willing to let AI make the call for them.
In another question, nearly 40% said AI would weigh their interests more fairly than today's decision-makers. Only about 31% picked humans.
Chatbots are always online, patient, and seem more neutral than your typical politician. But the moment AI shifts from advising to deciding, support collapses to 3.7%.
It's only a 1,000-person sample, so it doesn't represent global public opinion. Still, in this group at least, the politicians just lost to a chatbot.