A new study assessing the opinions of 10,000 consumers has highlighted a growing demand for businesses to demonstrate that they are adopting responsible and ethical policies in their pursuit of AI technology development and use.
The global study found that while there is consumer appetite for businesses using generative AI (GenAI) in the innovation of products and services, this demand comes with an imperative that businesses are transparent and proactively communicate how they are using it.
A whopping 93% of people surveyed in the study, undertaken by the global technology consultancy Thoughtworks, agreed that failing to incorporate responsible and ethical thinking when using GenAI will leave businesses facing detrimental impacts, such as legal and regulatory issues.
An overwhelming majority of consumers (85%) felt that business need to be transparent about their use of GenAI otherwise risk losing current and prospective customers.
Highlighting some of the prime concerns consumers have surrounding GenAI, 68% of respondents believe that businesses need to clearly outline how data is used, 63% wanted to ensure that there was no illegal or copyrighted material employed in the training or use of AI, and 62% said that businesses should be clearly disclosing when content is generated by GenAI.
Responsible AI becoming an imperative for businesses
Commenting on the report’s publication Matthew Driver, CEO of ethicAil said, “These results highlight the growing need for businesses to not only put in place robust AI governance frameworks, but also to ensure that those policies and processes are clearly communicated to customers and users of these technologies.”
“GenAI is permeating technologies across the workplace, from product development to operations, sales to HR, and business leaders need to be able to easily understand the potential risks and regulatory implications of workforces and customers using these solutions, while at the same time making those stakeholders aware of the responsible steps they are taking.”
“At ethicAil, we help build sustainable relationships between businesses that make or use AI and the users impacted by their work. Companies partner with us to collaborate on ethical and responsible AI implementation. Using a common platform, universal scorecards, benchmarks, performance improvement tools and learning resources.”
The independent survey sought the views and perspectives from several leading markets, including, the UK and US, Italy, Germany, India and Australia.
The survey also highlighted some of the more general feelings consumers have around GenAI.
There is hope from 83% of consumers that businesses can use GenAI to be more innovative and to serve them better. Those more likely to buy from businesses using GenAI would do so for greater innovation (59%), to give them a better customer experience through faster support (51%) and a more personalized experience (50%).
The continual theme though was that there is an expectation that businesses should use technology ethically while they innovate.
Speaking on the report’s findings, Mike Mason, chief AI officer, Thoughtworks, said, “In a world where trust is paramount, businesses must understand that gaining the public’s confidence through responsible & ethical AI is not just a regulatory obligation, it’s a strategic advantage.”
This content was initially generated with the assistance of AI tools. However, it has undergone thorough human review, editing, and approval to ensure its accuracy, coherence, and quality. While AI technology played a role in its creation, the final version reflects the expertise and judgment of our human editors.
