Few trust businesses to use it responsibly, but transparency could help
WALTHAM, Mass., Aug. 28, 2024 -- Americans continue to see few upsides to using artificial intelligence in business. The latest survey from Bentley University and Gallup shows that U.S. adults see more harm than good from the use of AI, believe it will cost U.S. jobs and do not trust businesses to use it responsibly.
However, the study also suggests that businesses could help alleviate some of Americans' concerns about AI by providing greater transparency into how they are using it.
Key Findings
Americans still see more harm than good from AI, but fewer see it as harmful.
The majority of Americans (56%) believe AI has a net neutral effect -- doing equal amounts of harm and good. But they are more than twice as likely to believe it does more harm than good (31%) as they are to believe the good of AI outweighs its harms (13%).
The percentage of those who believe AI is more harmful than helpful has decreased nine percentage points in the past year, from 40% to 31%. Most of this shift has been driven by Americans over the age of 30, while views among younger Americans remain mostly unchanged.
These findings, from the latest Bentley-Gallup Business in Society Report, are based on a web survey with 5,835 U.S. adults conducted from April 29-May 6, 2024, using the probability-based Gallup Panel.
Nearly two-thirds of Americans (64%) report being at least somewhat knowledgeable about AI, including 9% saying they are extremely knowledgeable. Majorities in every age group of Americans say they are at least somewhat knowledgeable, but knowledge drops off sharply among those aged 60 and older. Men are more likely than women to say they are at least somewhat knowledgeable (72% vs. 57%, respectively).
Generally, those more knowledgeable about AI are less likely to express concern about its effects. However, even those who say they are extremely knowledgeable about AI are more likely to believe it does more harm than good than to say it does more good than harm (31% to 22%).
Most believe AI will cost the U.S. jobs and do not trust businesses to use it responsibly.
Three-quarters of Americans say AI will reduce the total number of jobs in the country over the next 10 years, the same as the percentage who said so last year. Also similar to last year, 77% of adults do not trust businesses much (44%) or at all (33%) to use AI responsibly. Additionally, nearly seven in 10 of those who are extremely knowledgeable about AI have little to no trust in businesses to use AI responsibly.
These are especially top-of-mind considerations for those who believe AI does more harm than good (AI skeptics). Those skeptics are 29 percentage points more likely than AI promoters (who see more good than harm) to believe AI will reduce jobs in the U.S. (88% vs. 59%, respectively). Also, AI skeptics are more than three times as likely as its promoters to say they do not trust businesses at all to use AI responsibly (55% vs. 16%, respectively).
Transparency could ease Americans' worries about how AI is being used.
Americans express concerns about the use of AI in each of the six areas tested in the survey. Using AI to help students with homework or studying elicits the least worry, but two-thirds of adults find it at least somewhat concerning. At least eight in 10 adults are concerned about using AI for hiring decisions (85%), driving vehicles (83%) and recommending medical advice (80%).
But there are steps businesses can take to alleviate these concerns. When asked to choose from a list of actions that businesses can take to most reduce concerns about AI, Americans most frequently say companies should be transparent about how AI is being used in business practices (57%). No other strategy was chosen by more than 34% of respondents.
Bottom Line
Although fewer Americans today see AI as harmful than did so a year ago, they are still firmly wary of how it is being used in a multitude of settings, including the workplace. While Americans tend to be less skeptical of AI when they know more about it, providing transparency and being clear -- rather than offering education -- may benefit businesses more if they are trying to convince the public that they can use AI responsibly.
Survey Methods:
Results for the 2024 Bentley-Gallup Business in Society Report are based on a Gallup Panel web survey completed by 5,835 U.S. adults, aged 18 and older, conducted April 29-May 6, 2024. For results based on this sample of adults, the margin of sampling error at the 95% confidence level is ±2.1 percentage points for response percentages around 50% and is ±1.3 percentage points for response percentages around 10% or 90%, design effect included. This report outlines preliminary findings from the survey.
2023 and 2022 results are from previous iterations of the Bentley-Gallup Business in Society Report. In 2023, the survey was conducted May 8-15, 2023. For these results, the maximum margin of sampling error is ±1.8 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. In 2022, the survey was conducted June 8-19, 2022. For these results, the maximum margin of sampling error is ±1.9 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
In addition to sampling error, questions wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.
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