What happened
Carnegie Endowment's second annual California AI survey, based on 1,500 adult California residents surveyed via YouGov (April 21–May 11, 2026), finds growing bipartisan concern about AI's economic and safety implications alongside rapid workplace adoption. The headline finding: 'Nearly three quarters of Californians agree that the government should require AI companies to test their most advanced systems for safety and provide a detailed plan for how they will prevent harm.' About six in ten Californians now report using AI daily or occasionally at work (up from last year), yet most report only 'minor or no improvement in productivity.' Cybersecurity concern rose from fourth to second place among AI-related worries year-over-year, and under 10% of respondents support government agencies using AI to make decisions affecting them. The survey also finds substantial bipartisan alignment on requiring safety testing and workforce-protection policies despite partisan divides on other tech issues.
Why it matters
Public trust and demand for mandatory safety testing — now a supermajority, bipartisan position in the largest AI-hub state — signals rising political risk for companies resisting third-party safety verification and strengthens the case for state-level regulatory momentum that boards should track alongside federal preemption debates.
Action needed
Share with policy/government-affairs teams tracking California AI legislation and state-federal preemption dynamics; incorporate public sentiment data into stakeholder risk communications.