Axios Harris Poll 100: GOP embraces AI over Dems
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Democrats have become more skeptical of AI technology and the industry behind it, while Republicans are significantly more likely to trust most AI companies, according to this year's Axios Harris Poll 100 rankings.
Why it matters: This represents a significant shift in just two years, since the White House changed hands and AI advancements accelerated.
- Sam Altman's OpenAI is the tip of the spear. 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.
By the numbers: 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.
- At the same time, President Trump's embrace may be reassuring some Americans in his own party.
- 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.
What they're saying: "The cultural fault lines are quickly being drawn on whether AI is a benefactor or a 'broligarchy,'" says John Gerzema, CEO of The Harris Poll.
- "In our Axios Harris poll, for a decade we've seen Big Tech more left, more progressive. But if you look at this basket of AI firms, with the exception of Anthropic, they've all shifted to the right as their innovation and market dominance appears unrivaled in the years to come," he says.
The bottom line: Think of AI as a candidate on the November ballot. It's now up there with jobs, the economy, immigration and climate change.
Go deeper: The Axios Harris Poll 100's methodology
