Despite massive corporate investments
in artificial intelligence (AI), nearly three-quarters of consumers are
concerned about AI infringing on their privacy, according to a new study from Genpact,
a global professional services firm focused on delivering digital
transformation. The survey of more than 5,000 people across the United States,
United Kingdom, and Australia also reveals that 59 percent of respondents think
their government should do more to protect personal data from AI.
Disconnect in corporate and customer
views
Consumers’ wariness of AI contrasts
significantly with optimism expressed by corporate management. According to a
previous Genpact study conducted earlier this year, 88 percent of senior
executives at companies that are leaders in AI expect the technology will drive
better customer experiences within three years.
The consumer survey released today is
the third in a three-part Genpact research series that offers a comprehensive
view of AI adoption, readiness, and impact across three critical and disparate communities
– the C-suite, workforce, and consumers. The
first study, published in September 2017, explores the C-suite and senior
management’s perspective, and the
second survey, released in November 2017, looks at workers’ views.
In the consumer research released
today, only 12 percent of people surveyed say they would prefer to be served by
a chatbot, even if the service they receive is faster and more accurate than
that of a human. Yet over three times more executives (38 percent) think their
customers will prefer service by a chatbot in three years, according to
Genpact’s senior management study. Companies need to lay the groundwork now to
address this disconnect and pave the way for smooth AI adoption.
Building trust with cautious
consumers
Although companies continue to
embrace AI (for example, 82 percent of senior executives say they plan to
implement AI-related technologies by 2020), many potential customers still have
substantial fears. Nearly two thirds of respondents in the consumer study worry
that AI will make decisions that will impact their lives without their
knowledge. Moreover, 58 percent of people surveyed do not feel comfortable with
companies using AI to access their data to personalize and improve their
experiences with a brand.
“AI is a game-changer to improve the
customer experience, yet real challenges remain regarding trust and
privacy,” said Sanjay Srivastava, chief digital officer, Genpact.
“To encourage adoption, the key is to have visibility into AI decisions, and be
able to track and explain the logic behind them. Companies need to break
through the ‘black box’ to drive better insights for their business and give
consumers the assurance they need.”
Meeting consumer expectations today,
and tomorrow
Even with explosive growth of home
digital assistants, chatbots, smart sensors, etc., consumers still perceive
they have little contact with AI. Less than half of those surveyed say they
interact with some form of AI regularly. In addition, two in five (41 percent)
believe that AI has made no difference to their lives.
However, the study also shows that
younger generations interact with AI more frequently and cite its benefits.
They are twice as more likely than older people surveyed to say AI is making
their lives better. Younger generations also don’t need the human touch quite
as much: Only one third of Gen-Z and millennials strongly agree that they
prefer human interaction rather than AI, compared to 57 percent of baby
boomers.
“Younger generations’ rapidly
changing views underscore how AI, even in these early days, is the single
biggest shift that is transforming how people interact with businesses and the
world around them,” continued Srivastava. “The companies that will win in
this new world are ones that seize AI’s potential in a way that deeply
understands and solves for consumers’ concerns.”
