New study suggests Americans don’t trust AI systems

By Lulu Chang Published May 29, 2016

It may be brilliant, but it’s not all that trustworthy. That appears to be the opinion Americans hold when it comes to Artificial Intelligence systems. After all, there’s something strangely … artificial about the computer-based brain. And while we may be interacting with AI systems more frequently than we realize (hi, Siri), a new study from Time etc suggests that Americans don’t believe the AI revolution is quite here yet, with 54 percent claiming to have never interacted with such a system.

While this proportion seems to speak mostly to the seamless integration of many such systems into our daily lives, the more interesting finding reveals that 26 percent of respondents said they would not trust an AI with any personal or professional task. Sure, sending a text message or making a phone call is fine, but 51 percent said they’d be uncomfortable sharing personal data with an AI system. Moreover, 23 percent of Americans who say they have interacted with an AI reported being dissatisfied with the experience.

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“In today’s world, technological solutions provide a convenience in our lives that is unmatched by anything else. From on-demand apps like Uber to food delivery services like Seamless, it’s almost possible to avoid human contact altogether,” said Barnaby Lashbrooke, CEO and Founder of Time etc. “While people may be comfortable using technology to get their lunch and dinner delivered, there are some tasks that will always be better accomplished by humans. This is where virtual assistant services that are backed by real people, like Time etc, provide a happy medium of the convenience of tech and the reliability of human intelligence.”

Curiously enough, humans also seem decidedly confident in their own abilities, with 35 percent of respondents saying the Artificial Intelligence would never match human intelligence (though that assertion has already been put to quite the test). Ultimately, however, the root of the issue seems to lie in trust — 66 percent of study participants said they’d be uncomfortable sharing financial data with an AI system, and 53 percent said they would be uncomfortable sharing professional data.

Who knows — maybe man has a chance against the storied robot revolution after all.

Former Contributor

Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…

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