(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)
Published: Tue 7 Dec 2021, 3:40 PM
Consumers across the world still have mixed reactions about the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the coming years, with many saying that they are comfortable with the technology helping to automate industries such as manufacturing and healthcare, but hesitant for it to be applied to areas such as schools and education.
YouGov's International Technology Report 2021 on Automation and AI, found that 48 per cent of consumers surveyed globally show a sense of scepticism and concern around the development of AI. They believed that certain industries will be impacted more greatly than others, while experts noted that trust in institutions will be a critical factor in consumers accepting the use of automation/AI in different countries and cultures.
The report observed that skepticism towards Automation and AI is overwhelmingly a Western market emotion, whereas Eastern and Emerging Markets tended to have more positive feelings such as acceptance and optimism about the potential of the technology.
When asked about their feelings towards the technologies, 30 per cent of respondents in the UAE said that they were at the 'acceptance' stage, while 28 per cent said that they were 'hopeful' and 'excited'. Looking at some of the more negative emotions associated with the technology, 18 per cent of UAE respondents said that they felt a sense of 'fear', while 15 per cent felt that the technology was 'unnecessary'.
The main concerns over AI center around the fear of losing control, with many respondents saying that institutions must pay attention to the development of it so that it 'doesn't get out of hand', or the potential of the technology 'when it is in the wrong hands'. When asked what type of entities consumers would trust with the development and application of the technology, it was found that consumers generally trust big, established companies over small ones, and the private sector generally more than the public sphere. In the UAE, 46 per cent of respondents said that they trust bigger established tech firms, while only 19 per cent said that they trust smaller established ones.
YouGov's research found that the five industries that consumers selected as being 'profoundly impacted' by AI are manufacturing, transportation & mobility, communications, banking & finance, and medicine. This is line with similar reports that explored the nature of AI at work in the UAE. The second annual AI at Work study, conducted by Oracle and Future Workplace, revealed that the use of AI in 2020 is becoming more prominent, with 50 per cent of workers currently using some form of AI at work, compared to only 32 per cent the year before. At 65 per cent, the majority of workers in the study said that they are optimistic, excited and grateful about having robot co-workers, and nearly 25 per cent report having a loving and gratifying relationship with AI at work.
Another global study by Oracle earlier this year, which surveyed over 9,000 respondents in 14 countries including the UAE, found that 70 per cent of consumers and business leaders trust a robot more than a human to manage finances.
Juergen Lindner, SVP and CMO for Oracle's Fusion Cloud ERP and HCM, noted that digital is the new normal and that technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) play a vital role in managing finance.“Our research indicates that consumers trust these technologies to accelerate their financial well-being over personal financial advisors and business leaders see this trend reshaping the role of corporate finance professionals. Organisations that don't embrace these changes risk falling behind their peers and competitors; hurting employee productivity, morale and well-being; and struggling to attract the next generation of AI-empowered finance talent.”
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