Will AI make our lives better? Consumers still need to be convinced

Artificial intelligence use cases are rapidly evolving, however new research shows that consumer trust needs to be built.

A Strategy Analytics study, canvassing consumer perceptions of AI in the US, Western Europe, China and India, shows concerns remain around privacy, security and a lack of control of the technology itself.

According to the study, while approximately 40% of consumers believe their lives will be improved by artificial intelligence, they are concerned about how their data is utilised, where it will end up, and, when harvested, if the technology itself will work properly.

Meanwhile, the greatest interest for AI across all regions is for smartphone reminders, suggesting “that consumers still need to utilise AI for simple tasks to build enough trust for more complex use cases”.

Christopher Dodge, Strategy Analytics associate director and report author, said that once trust is established through simple use cases, “consumers will be more willing to accept AI to complete more complex tasks, and in doing so, achieve the enhanced quality of life that they are expecting”.

Strategy Analytics additionally points to manual control of AI as still remaining “essential for consumers at present”.

“Privacy and security, coupled with current high costs and fragmentation issues, will continue to serve as barriers for continued and widespread adoption,” Chris Schreiner, director of syndicated research, UXIP, commented.

“Therefore, it is crucial for AI developers to ensure consumers have the most realistic and natural approach to intelligence through voice HMIs, data transparency, holistic integration and improved user profiling.”

Read more: How Google’s AlphaGo artificial intelligence is set to tackle real world challenges

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