There is growing concern over the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) and some states are national leaders in the fear parade. The research team at Ask Optimo, an AI-powered tool, analyzed around 1,000 Google queries related to AI concerns across every U.S. state to establish the states most concerned about AI.

Washington tops the list with 1,476 monthly searches per 100,000 residents. Known to be home to major tech powerhouses like Microsoft and Amazon, it would seem strange for this state to be the most concerned with AI. However, it could be interpreted as an indicator of the big impact these companies have on fellow residents. Some of the most searched terms include “AI risks” and “Is AI safe?”

Massachusetts follows second with 1,385 average monthly searches per 100,000 people. M.I.T. serves as one of the nation’s main sources of the finest tech workers, so there is no wonder why this state would be so interested in topics like AI and its dangers. Searches vary from “Why is AI dangerous?” to “AI regulation”.

New York is the third state most worried about AI, with a search volume of 1,364 per 100,000 residents. The state is one of the biggest tech hubs in the country, and these numbers might come as a result of the residents’ concern about the implications of that title. This state has the highest search volume for queries such as “AI risks’” and “Can AI attack humans?”

Rounding out the Top 10 states most concerned about AI following New York are (in order): New Jersey, California, Connecticut, Virginia, Florida, Oregon, and Georgia.

The Top 10 states least concerned about AI are (from 50-41): Mississippi, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Kentucky.

Methodology

To collect relevant data for this study, the research team searched for keywords and search terms in which concerns over AI technology were raised, such as “Why is AI dangerous?”, “AI threats”, “Is AI safe?”, “AI detectors”, “AI regulation”, “AI takeover”, and many more. The team then calculated the total number of searches for each state for 100,000 people and ranked the states from the highest to the lowest searches.