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More than half of Americans are now extremely or very concerned about AI's environmental impacts, a figure that climbed more than ten percentage points in a single year according to AP-NORC polling.

What is a key fact in this story? (1)

**AP-NORC polling** found that more than half of Americans are extremely or very concerned about the environmental impacts of AI, in a survey conducted jointly with the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago.

What is a key fact in this story? (2)

**Concern about AI's environmental footprint** rose more than 10 percentage points compared to last year's poll, the steepest one-year shift reported in the data.

AI environmental concerns build as lawmakers grapple with tech panic — SkimNews

By Axios · Summarized & edited by Kapil Samant · 2026-09-16

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AP-NORC polling found that more than half of Americans are extremely or very concerned about the environmental impacts of AI, in a survey conducted jointly with the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago.
Concern about AI's environmental footprint rose more than 10 percentage points compared to last year's poll, the steepest one-year shift reported in the data.

Why it matters: A 10-point year-over-year jump in Americans extremely or very concerned about AI's environmental footprint — crossing the 50% majority threshold — shows environmental impact is rapidly shifting from a niche worry to a mainstream one, according to AP-NORC and the University of Chicago's Energy Policy Institute.