7 Minutes 
Key Takeaways
- While most Georgia swing voters see promise in AI’s potential to improve daily life, many also worry it could overtake human roles, reduce social interaction, or even destabilize democracy.
- Voters overwhelmingly opposed Texas Republicans’ redistricting efforts and voiced mixed but often negative views of RFK Jr.’s performance as HHS Secretary.
- Despite varied views on other issues, all participants reported feeling more anxious about the economy than when Trump took office, citing tariffs, inflation, and instability as major concerns.
In August, the Swing Voter Project met with voters from Georgia. Conversations ranged from their hopes and fears about artificial intelligence, to redistricting battles in Texas, to opinions on RFK Jr. and healthcare. Above all, participants voiced deep anxiety about the state of the economy under President Trump’s second term.
The Swing Voter Project is a monthly collaboration between Engagious, Sago, and Axios. We convene focus groups of voters from key battleground states who flipped from Joe Biden in 2020 to Donald Trump in 2024 — and ask what’s on their minds.
Georgia Swing Voters on AI: Hope and Worry
For the first time in more than two years, we took a deep dive on swing voters’ feelings about artificial intelligence.
Compared to 2023, familiarity is high: all but one of the 11 participants had used AI, and five said they use ChatGPT at least weekly. Eight consider themselves AI supporters, while three are opponents.
When asked about their hopes, voters said:
“I’d love AI to handle all the tasks I don’t enjoy doing—like cleaning, errands, and email.”
“I hope AI stays where it is and doesn’t overtake human interactions.”
“It needs to be regulated, transparent, and controlled.”
“I hope it cures cancer.”
“I just hope it doesn’t take away too many jobs.”
But their worries were clear and often extreme:
“I’m worried it’ll take over the world. Kill jobs. The list is endless.”
“It could crash the financial markets if trading bots go haywire.”
“It’s going to overtake human thinking.”
“It destroys humanity.”
I worry about AI becoming overly sentient — and that’s problematic.
AI’s Environmental Impact
Seven of the 11 respondents had heard about the environmental footprint of AI data centers.
“They drain local water supplies.”
“They use enormous amounts of electricity, mostly from fossil fuels.”
“My power bill has doubled in the last year, partly because of energy demands like this.”
Even those less familiar worried about the knock-on effects:
“If data centers collapse or shut down, everything relying on them — even EV charging stations — could be at risk.”
Concerns About AI and Human Connection
One unanimous concern: AI personas replacing human friends.
“If it gives the illusion of being a real person, it will hurt people’s ability to connect in the real world.”
“Lonely people will start using bots for companionship — and it won’t end well.”
“AI might become so human-like that some will rely on it for mental health support, instead of real people.”
Texas Redistricting: Strong Opposition
When asked about the recent redistricting controversy in Texas, most were initially unfamiliar. After hearing a neutral overview, all 11 opposed what Republicans are attempting to do.
“It’s not based on anything concrete, just to please Trump.”
“There’s a proper way to do things — this isn’t it.”
“If you ignore laws and protocols, what’s the point of having them?”
They also opposed the lawsuit from the Texas Attorney General to remove Democrats who left the state. 10 of the 11 said those legislators were right to act.
“You need a drastic countermeasure for drastic actions.”
“They’re doing what their constituents elected them to do.”
MAHA and RFK Jr.
Knowledge of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement was limited. Only two approved, one disapproved, and eight didn’t know enough to have an opinion.
As for HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., three approved of his performance, four disapproved, and four were unsure.
Approvals focused on his honesty and consistency:
“He admits what he doesn’t know and sticks to his guns.”
Disapprovals were blunt:
“He ignores facts.”
“He’s not qualified.”
“He’s a disappointment to his family name.”
All 11 agreed: doctors and scientists, not political appointees, should have final say on vaccines.
Economic Anxiety: A Consistent Theme
Just like in Nevada last month, economic anxiety dominated.
- 8 of 11 disapprove of Trump’s performance.
- 7 of 11 disapprove of tariffs.
- All 11 say they are more anxious about the economy today than in January.
Their reasons included tariffs, inflation, rising housing costs, and instability in global alliances:
“Every day there’s a new tariff, new inflation, new job losses.”
“It’s unpredictable — everything has gone up astronomically.”
“The cost of living is ridiculous and shows no signs of slowing.”
“Prices are rising, alliances are breaking, and there’s uncertainty of war.”
Closing
Georgia swing voters reveal a mix of hope and fear about technology, opposition to political maneuvers in Texas, skepticism toward RFK Jr., and strong concerns about the economy. Inflation and instability remain the issues that dominate their daily lives.
Stay tuned for next month’s Swing Voter Project update from another battleground state.
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