The election of “democratic socialist” Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York City has got America’s under-40 voters excited, and a majority of them want to enact his agenda nationwide, but our friends at Rasmussen Reports found an even more frightening trend in a recent poll.
While many Americans are concerned about the implications of artificial intelligence technology, a significant number of voters under 40 are willing to let AI exercise tremendous power in society and government.
A new national telephone and online survey by Rasmussen Reports and the Glenn C. Haskins Emerging Issues Center of the Heartland Institute finds that 41% of Likely U.S. Voters ages 18 to 39 would support a proposal to take power away from most human lawmakers and instead give an advanced AI system the authority to control the majority of public policy decisions. That includes 21% who Strongly Support letting AI have public policy authority. Forty-nine percent (49%) of younger voters would oppose putting an advanced artificial intelligence system in charge of public policy, including 35% who Strongly Oppose such a proposal, while 10% are not sure.
More than a third of under-40 voters would let artificial intelligence replace the U.S. Constitution and the Supreme Court. Thirty-six percent (36%) support giving an advanced AI system the authority to determine the rights that belong to individuals and families, including rights related to speech, religious practices, government authority, and property. That includes 15% who Strongly Support allowing Americans’ rights to be determined by artificial intelligence. Fifty-six percent (56%) are opposed, including 38% who Strongly Oppose replacing the Constitution with an AI system.
“These results are stunning,” said Donald Kendal, director of the Heartland Institute’s Emerging Issues Center. “What we are seeing is the early emergence of an AI strong man mentality among younger Americans. Younger generations are increasingly disillusioned with the failures of traditional institutions, so much so, that they are willing to hand control to artificial intelligence.”
Many under-40 voters are even willing to let artificial intelligence wield military power. Thirty-five percent (35%) would support a proposal to give an advanced AI system the authority to control all of the world's largest militaries, with the express purpose of reducing the number of people who die from war. Fifteen percent (15%) Strongly Support this idea. Fifty-six percent (56%) of voters ages 18-39 are opposed to letting AI control the world’s largest militaries, including 40% who Strongly Oppose such a proposal.
Among other findings of the Rasmussen Reports/Heartland Institute survey of under-40 Likely Voters:
- Women are less likely than men to support letting artificial intelligence run things. While 46% of men ages 18-39 at least somewhat support giving an advanced AI system the authority to control the majority of public policy decisions, only 37% of women voters agree.
- Voters under 30 are more enthusiastic about giving authority to artificial intelligence than are those ages 30-39. For example, while 40% of voters ages 18-24 support authorizing an advanced AI system to control all of the world's largest militaries, that declines to 30% among those ages 35-39.
- Whites are less supportive of giving power to AI than are minority voters. For example, on the question of giving an advanced AI system the authority to determine the rights that belong to individuals and families, 29% of whites support such a proposal, compared to 46% of black voters, 50% of Hispanics and 44% of other minorities.
“For many, the thought process is: these institutions are already so broken, corrupt, and ineffective, how could it get any worse if we were to put AI in charge?” said the Heartland Institute’s Kendal. “These poll results illustrate an incredibly dangerous trajectory for any society that values personal autonomy and liberty.”
The election of “democratic socialist” Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York City has got America’s under-40 voters excited, and a majority of them want to enact his agenda nationwide. Young voters flirting with socialism is nothing new, but Heartland’s Donald Kendal is right, when almost half of young voters accept an Artificial Intelligence-run society, that is an incredibly dangerous trajectory for any society that values personal autonomy and liberty.
The survey of 1,496 U.S. Likely Voters ages 18-39 was conducted on October 31-November 2, 2025 by Rasmussen Reports and the Glenn C. Haskins Emerging Issues Center of the Heartland Institute. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology. To see survey question wording, click here.
George Rasley is editor of Richard Viguerie's ConservativeHQ.com and is a veteran of over 300 political campaigns. A member of American MENSA, he served on the staff of Vice President Dan Quayle, as Director of Policy and Communication for former Congressman Adam Putnam (FL-12) then Vice Chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee's Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs, and as spokesman for retired Rep. Mac Thornberry formerly a member of the House Intelligence Committee and Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and as Director of Communications for now-retired Rep. Jeb Hensarling, formerly Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee.
