Labour voters lead AI adoption as public remains split on impact

Labour supporters are more likely to use AI tools such as ChatGPT and Claude than voters of any other major political party, new polling has found.

The latest City AM/Freshwater Strategy poll of UK voters found Labour backers are the heaviest users of AI assistants, while two-thirds (66 per cent) of voters overall have used tools such as ChatGPT or Claude.

Usage rises to 82 per cent among under-35s, with younger voters also the most optimistic about the technology’s potential benefits.

AI has become an increasingly prominent political issue, with figures across Westminster divided over whether the focus should be on accelerating adoption or addressing concerns around jobs, misinformation or privacy.

Former Downing Street chief of staff Morgan McSweeney this week argued democracies risk falling behind if they fail to embrace the technology.

“It is not about the left and the right, it is about democrats against authoritarians,” he said at the Globsec Forum in Prague, warning political movements must learn how to use AI rather than simply regulate it.

McSweeney also suggested AI could transform election campaigning, arguing the technology could allow parties to target thousands of voter groups simultaneously rather than a handful of broad demographics.

But the polling suggests voters remain cautious about where AI could lead, with just 31 per cent expecting AI to have a positive impact on the UK over the next three years, compared with 28 per cent who expect a negative effect.

Those who use AI most frequently are consistently more optimistic about its impact, while non-users are considerably more sceptical.

Job and deepfake fears outweigh optimism

Despite growing adoption, around 67 per cent of voters believe AI will replace jobs faster than it creates them, while 66 per cent expect it to increase misinformation and deepfakes. The same proportion believe AI poses risks to personal data and privacy.

By contrast, voters are less convinced by claims that AI will boost economic growth. While more people agree than disagree that the technology will help businesses compete and improve public services, support is notably weaker than concern over its potential downsides.

The debate has also exposed divisions on the political left, with former prime minister Tony Blair recently arguing that AI would become the defining force shaping economies and governments.

He wrote: “There is no point in debating whether this technological revolution is a good or bad thing. Just know it is a ‘thing’. In fact, it is ‘the thing’.”

Blair called on ministers to place AI at the centre of economic policy, arguing that countries and companies would “rise or fall” depending on how they respond to the technology.

His intervention prompted criticism from Green Party deputy leader Zack Polanski, who questioned Blair’s ties to the tech sector and called for greater transparency around the relationship between major AI firms and policymakers.

“It would be bad for public confidence if there was a suspicion that large corporate interests are buying access to the government,” Polanski wrote in a letter to ministers, following scrutiny of links between Blair’s think tank and major technology donors.