A new survey suggests the national conversation on artificial intelligence is splitting into two parallel worlds, with corporate leaders focused on returns on investment while much of the public grows uneasy about where the technology is headed.
The nonprofit research organization Just Capital fielded three parallel questionnaires: one for 2,052 US adults conducted online by The Harris Poll, one for 98 institutional investors and analysts recruited through the Robin Hood Investors Conference and one for 111 senior corporate leaders supplied by Gerson Lehrman Group, the majority of whom were C-suite executives at companies with at least 500 employees.
The research finds that the majority of corporate leaders, investors and the general public think that AI will have a positive effect in five years. But the study notes that everyday Americans are more worried than corporate. The data shows that 42% of the general public views AI as a net negative compared to just 7% of corporate leaders and 20% of investors.
In a CNBC interview, Martin Whittaker, Just Capital CEO, says the general public has a wide array of concerns about AI that go beyond job loss.
“They’re more worried than business leaders and investors for sure. I mean, the focus for business leaders is going to be around productivity initially. What I hear all the time is ‘What’s the ROI of the investments that we’re making?’ The public is more concerned about consumer protections. You know deepfakes, misinformation, disinformation, protection for kids, things like that. So there’s a whole area around consumer issues.”
But Whittaker notes that both investors and the public agree that there should be a commitment to workforce support, ensuring that AI training and development are available to employees.
“You’re really seeing agreement around a need to invest in the American worker, upskilling, training.”
The study shows that 90% of the general public and 97% of investors say that AI training and development are critical for companies deploying the technology. Meanwhile, roughly three-quarters of corporate leaders say they are planning to implement AI training to support their workers.
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