Artificial intelligence is dominating economic, workforce and public policy discussions, but how do everyday voters feel? They’re still collating[1].
The latest Florida Chamber of Commerce[2] poll found Floridians almost perfectly split on whether AI is improving or undermining daily life with neither side within arms’ reach of a majority.
Thirty-seven percent told pollsters the tech is making things better, while 38% said it’s doing more harm than good. About one in four voters are still sitting on the fence. The middling sentiment appears disconnected from party affiliation, however the results do show a clear gender gap, with men leaning into the hype at 45%-31% in favor, and women expressing more skepticism at 29%-45%.
That ambivalence stands in contrast to the industry’s rapid rise in the post-pandemic era. The Chamber poll results dropped on the same day NVIDIA became the world’s first $5 trillion company[3] — a valuation approaching three times Florida’s annual GDP — powered by global demand for AI chips.
While economists are warning of a possible bubble, AI is an increasingly common topic in policy discussions, including many of the panel discussions[4] held during the Chamber’s own Future of Florida Forum earlier this week.
During the two-day event, State University System Chancellor Ray Rodrigues compared the current moment to the dawn of the internet, saying it’s “a little early” to make any predictions and noting the current non-presence of a clear, cohesive regulatory structure.
“That hasn’t been put up yet for AI, but we know it’s coming. I think after that’s done, we’ll have a better sense of what the real impact’s going to be,” he said.
Florida Department of Education Senior Chancellor Kevin O’Farrell, meanwhile, said AI “is being applied to every single industry,” arguing the challenge isn’t to fear it but to understand it — and for Florida to get in the game while before the industry fully gels.
“Florida is well-positioned to handle this. We have the collaborative nature. We have the integrative technology. We have the desire to push forward and to position ourselves in a way that we’re going to maximize artificial intelligence to advance our economic interest as well as our occupational growth across all sectors,” he said.
At the same event, The Moore Agency released its 2026 M.Cast Trends Report[5], exclusively focused on AI. In contrast to pervasive gloom at the intersection of AI and employment, the report emphasized that AI is becoming “invisible infrastructure” in the same vein as email or the web while giving the value of distinctly human behaviors and “strategic imperfection” and NVDA-esque boost.
The Chamber’s poll, conducted Oct. 16-25 by Cherry Communications, surveyed 608 likely voters and carries a margin of error of +/- 4%.
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Florida Politics reporter Gabrielle Russon contributed to this report.
References
- ^ They’re still collating (www.youtube.com)
- ^ Florida Chamber of Commerce (www.flchamber.com)
- ^ the world’s first $5 trillion company (apnews.com)
- ^ many of the panel discussions (floridapolitics.com)
- ^ 2026 M.Cast Trends Report (floridapolitics.com)