Memo

TO: Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF)

FR: Morning Consult

DT: February 2026

RE: Flash Survey—Bipartisan Public Demands Human Control of AI, Opposes Warrantless Surveillance

As the Department of War levels threats and ultimatums against Anthropic, Morning Consult conducted a nationally representative survey of 1,976 U.S. adults to better understand attitudes around the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in military actions, whether technology companies have a responsibility to set limits on their products, and how Americans view mass surveillance. The findings from the survey are as follows:

Americans Want Humans in Control of AI

The Big Picture

Americans are deeply skeptical of AI in military operations. Nearly 8 in 10 (79%) say a human being should always make the final decision before any use of lethal force—a view held equally by Democrats (81%) and Republicans (81%). Three-quarters (75%) say AI technology is not yet reliable enough to be trusted with life-or-death military decisions without human oversight (Dem: 77%, Rep: 73%).

Concerns are Intense and Bipartisan

Majorities are “very concerned” about every tested AI scenario, and the pattern holds across party lines:

Autonomous Weapons: Research, Don’t Deploy

The public draws a clear line between understanding the technology and putting it on the battlefield. Only 21% support developing and deploying AI-controlled weapons (Dem: 16%, Rep: 35%). The plurality position (49%) is to research but not deploy (Dem: 54%, Rep: 44%)—with another 13% opposing any research at all.

71% agree the U.S. should still research and develop AI-controlled weapons to understand the technology and defend against enemies who might use them against us, even if we choose not to deploy them (Dem: 72%, Rep: 79%). Republicans are notably divided: while 48% say the U.S. must develop these weapons to stay ahead of adversaries, 34% say they should be banned because they are too dangerous and unethical.

Surveillance: Americans Want Legal Process, Not Blank Checks

A majority (54%) say AI-powered mass surveillance is too dangerous and violates privacy and civil liberties (Dem: 63%, Rep: 45%), versus 30% who see it as necessary for safety. Even Republicans are more likely to say mass surveillance is too dangerous (45%) than to call it necessary (40%).

But the public isn’t reflexively anti-security—46% say the government should only be able to use AI surveillance on specific targets with a court-issued warrant (Dem: 45%, Rep: 51%).

The constitutional principle is clear: 70% agree that using AI to monitor Americans without a court-issued warrant violates the Fourth Amendment’s protection against unreasonable searches (Dem: 74%, Rep: 71%).

Americans Back Companies Setting Limits

Two-thirds (67%) believe private technology companies have a responsibility to set limits on how their products can be used, even if the government wants to use them differently (Dem: 73%, Rep: 65%). When the trade-off is explicit, 53% say private AI companies should be allowed to restrict how their technology is used, including banning its use for domestic surveillance or autonomous weapons (Dem: 58%, Rep: 43%), versus just 29% who say companies should be required to provide the military with full access to ensure national security.

On the Anthropic dispute specifically, half (50%) of those who are aware of the dispute view penalizing the company as government overreach that sets a dangerous precedent (Dem: 57%, Rep: 39%), while 35% call it necessary for national security. Among Republicans who are aware of the dispute, opinion is closely split and many are undecided: 44% say it’s necessary, 39% call it overreach, and 16% are unsure.

Important Context: A Public Still Forming Its Views

Most Americans haven’t engaged deeply with these issues yet. 56% have heard “not much” or “nothing at all” about the Anthropic–Department of War dispute; only 12% have heard “a lot.” Opinion on specific policy tools remains unsettled: 30% are unsure about supply chain risk designations, and 20% are unsure about using emergency laws to compel company compliance.

The trust landscape is fragmented. No institution commands majority confidence on AI decisions. The most trusted entity is an independent scientific or ethics review board (22%), followed by the military and AI companies (14% each). A quarter of Americans (25%) say they’re simply not sure who to trust. Notably, 45% oppose using emergency laws to force AI company compliance (Dem: 57%, Rep: 29%), versus 35% who support it (Dem: 28%, Rep: 54%)—but these numbers could shift as awareness grows.

Key Stats

Top-line findings for quick reference:

▪ 79% say a human should always make the final decision before any use of lethal force

▪ 75% say AI is not yet reliable enough to be trusted with life-or-death military decisions without human oversight

▪ 54% say AI-powered mass surveillance is too dangerous and violates privacy and civil liberties

▪ 70% agree that using AI to monitor Americans without a court -issued warrant violates the Fourth Amendment

▪ 67% say private tech companies have a responsibility to set limits on how their products can be used, even if the government disagrees

▪ 53% say AI companies should be allowed to restrict their technology from uses like domestic surveillance or autonomous weapons, vs. just 29% who say companies must give the military full access

▪ 49% support researching AI-controlled weapons but not deploying them; only 21% favor deployment

▪ 47% say penalizing Anthropic is government overreach, vs. 29% who say it’s necessary for national security

▪ 45% oppose using emergency laws to force AI company compliance, vs. 35% who support it

Methodology

This poll was conducted February 25th, 2026 among a nationally representative sample of 1,976 U.S. adults. The interviews were conducted online and the data were weighted to approximate a target sample of U.S. adults based on gender, age, race, educational attainment, region, gender by age, and race by educational attainment. Results from the full survey have a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.