Do Citizens Agree with the EU AI Act? Public Perspectives on Risk and Regulation of AI Systems

The European Union (EU) has spearheaded the regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) with the AI Act, which regulates AI systems based on the risks they pose to fundamental rights and other protected values. AI systems that pose unacceptable risks are prohibited, high-risk AI systems must comply with mandatory requirements, and minimal risk AI systems are encouraged—but not required—to adopt voluntary standards. Motivated by concerns that the AI Act may not reflect the public’s opinions, we investigate how laypeople (N = 1,421) assess 48 different AI systems concerning their risk and regulation. We find that people believe all 48 AI systems pose moderate levels of risk and should be regulated (albeit without outright prohibitions). Our findings challenge the AI Act’s tiered approach, showing that people might support horizontal regulation requiring minimal standards for AI systems, and provide implications for developers seeking to develop AI aligned with public expectations.