Emerging Technologies

5 charts that show what people around the world think about AI

A circuit board is shown. AI is a computer driven technology.

One in six adults expects AI to profoundly change their daily life in the next 3-5 years. Image: Photo by Michael Dziedzic on Unsplash

Joe Myers
Writer, Forum Stories

Listen to the article

  • A new survey by Ipsos for the World Economic Forum explores attitudes towards artificial intelligence (AI) in 28 countries around the world.
  • The survey found that nearly two-thirds of adults expect products and services using AI will profoundly change their daily lives in the next 3-5 years.
  • It also highlights differences between emerging and high-income economies.

A new survey by Ipsos for the World Economic Forum has found that 60% of adults around the world expect that products and services using AI will profoundly change their daily life in the next 3-5 years.

The same number also agree that AI products and services will make their life easier, but just half say they have more benefits than drawbacks. And, just 50% say they trust companies that use AI as much as they trust other companies.

“In order to trust artificial intelligence, people must know and understand exactly what AI is, what it’s doing, and its impact,” said Kay Firth-Butterfield, Head of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning at the World Economic Forum. “Leaders and companies must make transparent and trustworthy AI a priority as they implement this technology.

Have you read?

Impact of AI on daily life

Opinions about AI
What people think about AI. Image: Ipsos

Nearly two-thirds of people surveyed said they have a good understanding of what artificial intelligence is.

Some 60% of people also think that products and services using AI will make their lives easier, with 60% also expecting AI to profoundly change their daily life in the coming years.

The areas set to see the biggest changes are education, safety and employment.

Areas expected to change most because of AI (Global country average)
The areas expected to see the biggest change because of AI. Image: Ipsos

But will it make life better? Those surveyed were a little less sure, with just 52% saying that products and services using artificial intelligence have more benefits than drawbacks.

However, there are areas where people think AI will improve their lives. Again, education comes top of the list, with entertainment and transportation rounding out the top three.

Areas expected to improve because of AI (global country average)
People expect AI to make education better for them and their families. Image: Ipsos

Trust in AI

As the first chart shows, just half of those surveyed said they trust companies that use AI as much as they trust other companies.

The survey does point to a correlation, though, between understanding AI and trust in companies that use artificial intelligence. It also suggests a difference between emerging and high-income countries.

Trust in AI is correlated with perceived understanding
The public's trust in AI is linked to levels of understanding about it. Image: Ipsos
Discover

How is the World Economic Forum ensuring the responsible use of technology?

Country differences

It's not the only difference between high-income and emerging economies uncovered by the survey.

Ipsos reports that citizens from emerging countries are significantly more likely than those from higher-income countries to report being knowledgeable about AI, to trust companies using AI and to have a positive outlook on the impact of AI-powered products and services in their lives.

Opinions about artificial intelligence by country
Emerging countries had a more positive outlook on AI than high-income ones. Image: Ipsos

Ipsos surveyed 19,504 adults in 28 countries between 19 November and 3 December 2021.

Don't miss any update on this topic

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

Sign up for free

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

Stay up to date:

Technological Transformation

Share:
The Big Picture
Explore and monitor how Artificial Intelligence is affecting economies, industries and global issues
World Economic Forum logo

Forum Stories newsletter

Bringing you weekly curated insights and analysis on the global issues that matter.

Subscribe today

Here’s why it’s important to build long-term cryptographic resilience

Michele Mosca and Donna Dodson

December 20, 2024

How digital platforms and AI are empowering individual investors

About us

Engage with us

  • Sign in
  • Partner with us
  • Become a member
  • Sign up for our press releases
  • Subscribe to our newsletters
  • Contact us

Quick links

Language editions

Privacy Policy & Terms of Service

Sitemap

© 2024 World Economic Forum