“Mixture of amazement at the potential of this technology and concern about possible pitfalls”: Public sentiment towards AI in 15 countries

Patrick Gage Kelley
Christopher Moessner
Aaron M Sedley
Allison Woodruff
Bulletin of the IEEE Computer Society Technical Committee on Data Engineering, 44 (2021), pp. 28-46
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Abstract

Public opinion plays an important role in the development of technology, influencing product adoption, commercial development, research funding, career choices, and regulation. In this paper we present results of an in-depth survey of public opinion of artificial intelligence (AI) conducted with over 17,000 respondents spanning fifteen countries and six continents. Our analysis of open-ended responses regarding sentiment towards AI revealed four key themes (exciting, useful, worrying, and futuristic) which appear to varying degrees in different countries. These sentiments, and their relative prevalence, may inform how the public influences the development of AI.