Over 60 years ago, the very concept of Artificial Intelligence (AI) came to fruition at the Dartmouth Summer Research Project on Artificial Intelligence in 1956. Hosted by John McCarthy and Marvin Minsky, the event brought together a band of highly respected researchers to participate in an open-ended discussion on AI, the term which McCarthy himself coined at this event. This landmark event was not only instrumental in kick-starting the following decades of AI research but was key in laying the foundation for the technology to begin to enter public consciousness.
Since then, AI has come a long way and is used in a plethora of industries delivering multiple functions – including automating workflows, providing predictive analysis and improving customer experiences. Most recently in healthcare, AI even proved its effectiveness in the fight against COVID-19. By leveraging its capabilities alongside medical imaging, medical staff were able to diagnose, treat and monitor COVID-19 patients.
However, despite its obvious benefits and positive impact on global society, the court of public opinion is still very much divided.
This was endorsed by a recent Ipsos Mori survey which looked at the public attitudes to AI across 28 countries. It unveiled a mix of positive feelings as well as concerns around how AI would impact peoples’ lives, most notably highlighting that opinions on AI depend greatly on a country’s level of economic development.
The survey was able to clearly illustrate a divide in attitudes toward AI between high-income and emerging countries, with citizens from emerging countries significantly more likely to be knowledgeable about AI and have a positive outlook on the technology.
In nearly all emerging countries, the majority of those surveyed trusted companies that were using AI as much as companies that weren’t. This was most evident in China (76%), Saudi Arabia (73%), and India (68%). In contrast, only about one-third of respondents in high-income countries were trusting of AI-powered companies, including those in France (34%), the United States (35%) and Great Britain (35%). Trust was highest among business decision-makers (62%), business owners (61%), the more affluent (57%) and those with a higher-education degree (56%); and lowest among those 50 and older (44%), those with no higher education (45%), and those who are not employed (45%).
Despite this divide between emerging and high-income countries, the global mood does point to an increasing acceptance and understanding of the benefits of AI. Six in ten respondents agreed that products and services using AI do make life easier, and they expect products and services using the technology to profoundly change their daily life in the next three to five years. Half of the survey’s respondents said they have more benefits than drawbacks, with only four in ten adults admitting that AI-powered products and services make them nervous.
So, what is causing this fundamental gap in attitude between emerging and economically developed countries? Familiarity seems key. Those surveyed in emerging economies said they are more familiar with AI tools and products than those surveyed in developed economies. A good understanding of AI ranged from lows of 41% in Japan and 42% in Italy, to highs of 78% in South Africa, and 75% in Russia. Reported knowledge of which products and services use AI ranged from 32% in Japan to 76% in China. The demographic group was seemingly also crucial to the level of familiarity with AI, with business decision-makers (74%), those with a university degree (71%), and those in their country’s upper-income tier (71%) most likely to report a good understanding of it.
Influencing every aspect of our life from the smart cars we drive to the devices we use for work and play, the impact of AI cannot be underestimated. The results of the survey also reflected this, with respondents acknowledging which sectors they see as being most changed by the technology. The survey found that those under the age of 35 and those who are highly educated felt that AI’s greatest impact would be felt in education. Those in the 35-49 age group believed that most change would take effect in the employment sector, while the most affluent respondents said shopping, transportation, and entertainment would see the most impact. Switching to country opinion, large percentages of Latin Americans also expected AI to trigger changes in education, safety, and employment while the Chinese expected AI to change shopping, transportation, entertainment as well as their home.
With AI showing no signs of slowing down in its ability to support and enhance multiple industries and therefore society, the need for developed economies to play catch up with emerging countries on their understanding of AI is imperative, especially if we are going to successfully leverage the benefits the technology has to offer.
A good example of those benefits can be seen in the world of manufacturing, where 29% of AI implementations are used for maintaining machinery and production assets by predicting when they are likely to fail and recommending optimal times to conduct maintenance. A lesser-known use-case of AI is combining it with video analytics (A.I.V.A) to increase security and business efficiencies. In railway stations for example, the technology can be used to assist crowd management by identifying potentially hazardous scenarios including overcrowding platforms and trespassing. Similarly, at airports, AI powered video analytics can offer an extremely reliable method for monitoring behaviours of interest as they unfold in real-time in the most dynamic and complex of environments.
Familiarity through education, training and usage of AI is a crucial factor in improving trustworthiness of the technology. AI is everywhere and will no doubt continue to permeate every aspect of our society. By recognising that fact alongside its benefits, only then we can make the most of the technology.
