Some of Americans' concerns about AI are waning

The Ipsos Consumer Tracker asks Americans questions about culture, the economy and the forces that shape our lives. Here's one thing we learned this week.

Why we asked: AI news continues to dominate headlines with new product launches and corporate drama every day. How are people feeling about all these new tools?

What we found: We originally asked these questions on Ipsos Global Advisor in late 2021, and again this July. Over that time we saw an average 12-point increase in concern about AI, with increases in each of the 24 markets surveyed, including the U.S. In this wave of the Consumer Tracker, we see that concern waning over a number of dimensions.

We’re more trusting that AI won’t discriminate or show bias, and more trusting of companies that use AI. We’re more likely to say that AI has more benefits than drawbacks and feel excited by AI and less likely to say it makes us nervous.

We’ve been watching this tension between the wonder of AI’s potential and the worry of its side effects, and it seems to be sliding a little more to the wonder side. Perhaps that’s because we’re already getting more used to having AI tools in our lives as more people experience them firsthand. But since, ultimately, humans have to use all this technology, it’s a series of attitudes worth keeping an eye on.

More insights from this wave of the Ipsos Consumer Tracker:

Shopping continues to bounce back to pre-pandemic levels

Here's what the 2023 word of the year, 'authentic,' means for brands

Americans say 2023 was a good year, and think 2024 will be even better

Americans still know and care deeply about the war between Israel and Hamas