AI Trust Gap Emerges: Businesses Embrace Generative AI, but the General Public Remains Wary

New research from Alteryx uncovers 78% of businesses say Generative AI adds value, but 42% of the general public are fearful about its future

Alteryx, Inc., a leader in AI for enterprise analytics, released findings from comprehensive new research into the awareness of and sentiment toward Generative AI (genAI) in 2024. The “Market Research: Attitudes and Adoption of Generative AI” report surveyed 2,000 global IT business leaders and 3,000 members of the general public to gather insights that expose the differing perceptions of how the world is navigating and embracing genAI. While over three-quarters (78%) of organizations say genAI adds business value, 46% of general public respondents are skeptical about its value, and 42% are fearful about its future.

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Business understanding of genAI vs the general public

• The research highlights similarities in genAI usage: 58% of the general public use genAI to search for information, and 43% of businesses use it for data analysis.
• Regarding sentiment, 76% of the general public feel positive about the increasing use of genAI to create content they consume, but 44% added that its use needs to be regulated.
• Interestingly, opinions on areas where genAI should never be used differ, with 47% of the general public citing politics and 39% of business respondents citing healthcare decision-making.
• 65% of business leaders reported that AI hallucinations negatively impact their overall trust in AI, while 73% of the general public say the same.

GenAI is starting to deliver business value, but challenges need to be overcome

• In the last year, businesses have run an average of three pilots using genAI, and 77% say the projects were very or extremely successful.
• Businesses listed data privacy and security (41%), security concerns (39%), and quality and reliability of outputs (34%) as top challenges in scaling AI. Only 38% reported that ethical use guidelines were in place.
• Getting training right today is essential, especially since 29% reported that a lack of skilled talent is holding them back from scaling genAI across the organization. Yet, 19% of organizations using genAI don’t offer any mandatory AI training.
• 65% of businesses feel that genAI will likely replace existing job roles in the organization over the next two to three years, while only 35% of the general public believe genAI will lead to job losses.

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Usage and output concerns and challenges remain

• Three in five (62%) businesses plan to continue to increase their investment in genAI technologies. However, 42% of the general public is concerned about how hackers may use genAI to commit crimes, and 38% think it will give rise to fake news.
• Almost half of the businesses say their organization has experienced misinformation produced by genAI, and 39% reported that the material delivered by genAI appeared to infringe on copyright or other intellectual property rights.
• Similarly, 53% of the general public reported that information produced by genAI was incorrect, and 39% believed it was outdated.

“Data literacy and a command of data analytics arguably remain critical to unlocking AI’s full potential while delivering ethical and trusted outcomes,” said Trevor Schulze, CIO at Alteryx. “With high-quality, clean data at the foundation of AI, businesses need to accelerate the data journey without compromising on ethical considerations and policies governing the use of data and AI. Self-service platforms that empower non-technical users to access and analyze data while harnessing AI in a secure and trusted environment are ideal for fostering trustworthy genAI outcomes.”