This article was originally published on UQ News.
Trust is an issue when it comes to artificial intelligence (AI) according to a University of Queensland study that found 72 per cent of people don’t trust it, with Australians leading the pack.
Trust experts from UQ Business School, Professor Nicole Gillespie, Dr Steve Lockey and Dr Caitlin Curtis led the study in partnership with KPMG, surveying more than 6000 people in Australia, the US, Canada, Germany and the UK to unearth attitudes about AI.
Professor Gillespie said trust in AI was low across the five countries, with one nation particularly concerned about its effect on employment.
“Australians are especially mistrusting of AI when it comes to its impact on jobs, with 61 per cent believing AI will eliminate more jobs than it creates, versus 47 per cent overall," Professor Gillespie said.
The research identified critical areas needed to build trust and acceptance of AI, including strengthening current regulations and laws, increasing understanding of AI, and embedding the principles of trustworthy AI in practice.
The survey also revealed that people believe most organisations use AI for financial reasons – to cut labour costs rather than to benefit society.
It found that while people are comfortable with AI for task automation, only one in five believe it will create more jobs than it eliminates.
