BRIDGING THE TRUST GAP
So how can brands and companies bridge the trust gap on AI?
The solution requires a two-pronged approach: Reduce barriers that dissuade people from using AI in the first place, and illustrate how AI can be a tool that makes humans more effective and impactful – not one that replaces them.
We asked Americans about 11 AI use cases to see which they trust most: AI alone, humans alone, or humans using AI. There wasn’t a single area where people trusted AI more than humans alone, and in most areas, humans alone were trusted at least two times more than AI alone.
But humans using AI were trusted more than AI alone in every use case. And in one key area – analyzing business data – Americans say they trust humans using AI just as much as they trust humans alone.
For CEOs aiming to modernize how services and products are delivered to consumers, this insight has major implications for the pace and phasing of AI transformations. Where AI is employed, demonstrating how the human is in the loop is critical for building trust. In fact, having avenues to engage humans without AI interventions should be table stakes in the near term.
Corporations would be wise to phase in the introduction of AI and reliance on new solutions over time with active communication and education for consumer end-users along the way. A full pivot to AI-only capabilities is likely to alienate large segments of consumers, as the technology remains in early stages of trustability. Ultimately, success with AI is dependent on more than powerful and reliable technology solutions – and appealing to consumer sentiment along the way is imperative.
Despite the corporate eagerness to benefit from AI, Americans at large are still divided. The Google/Ipsos study shows that only half of non-users (49%) are very or somewhat interested in learning how to use AI to support their career or business. That leaves half of non-users as a greater barrier to the success of any AI capabilities.
Despite the corporate eagerness to benefit from AI, Americans at large are still divided. The Google/Ipsos study shows that only half of non-users (49%) are very or somewhat interested in learning how to use AI to support their career or business. That leaves half of non-users as a greater barrier to the success of any AI capabilities.
The key lies in just getting consumers started on their AI adoption journey. Ipsos research shows that people once people use AI, they become more open to leveraging it in more ways.
Americans who use AI are doing more with it
Which of the following, if any, have you used generative AI products/services for? (AI users)
Americans who use AI are doing more with it
Which of the following, if any, have you used generative AI products/services for? (AI users)
AI advocates must understand what motivates their consumers and employees to adopt AI-powered services and products so that they can achieve initial trust in the systems. Once that hurdle is overcome, consumers and employees tend to deepen adoption and explore new utilities on their own.
For companies seeking to modernize their consumer offerings with AI, this understanding is critical to achieving return on AI investments. For business leaders looking to gain efficiencies from AI, it’s critical to design AI solutions that empower and enable employees so that they embrace new tools and even explore new utilities for AI in their work.
But what about the glaring consumer preference for humans only, without AI? Keep reading to find out how to approach it
How Ipsos Strategy3 helps brands build trust around AI
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