eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.
AI experts are more likely to be optimistic about the technology than the general public, according to a study released April 3 by the Pew Research Center. They surveyed 5,410 U.S. adults and 1,013 AI experts throughout 2024. Despite their differences, both groups agreed on the need for more personal control over AI, expressing skepticism that regulation will adequately address it.
Experts are excited, while the public is concerned
Among the experts surveyed, 47% said they were more excited than concerned about the increasing use of AI in daily life. In contrast, only 11% of the general public reported feeling more excited than concerned. A majority of the public — 51% — said they were more concerned than excited, compared to just 15% of experts who felt the same.
The Pew Research Center defined AI experts as researchers or presenters at an AI-related conference in 2023 or 2024 whose work is directly related to AI.
The divide between experts and the public extended across other aspects of AI perception. While 73% of experts said AI would have a positive impact on how people work, only 23% of U.S. adults agreed. Specifically, respondents were concerned about job loss, impersonation, and losing human connection.
Regarding elections, both groups agree AI should be kept out of them, with just 1 in 10 respondents from each group believing AI will have a positive influence in that area.
Both groups lack faith in governments or companies to regulate AI
Experts and the public think government regulation of AI is likely to be too lax as opposed to too strict. Possibly in response to this, both groups want more control over how AI is used in their lives, with 55% of the general public and 57% of AI experts expressing a desire for greater control.
This opinion did not differ as much as one might expect between political parties, with 64% of Democrats and 55% of Republicans concerned about insufficient regulation.
Of those surveyed, 59% of the public and 55% of the experts reported they have “not too much or no confidence” in U.S. companies developing or using AI responsibly.
“I think [companies] have a ton of responsibility. Unfortunately, I don’t think necessarily that … responsibility plays as high of a role in their decision-making of what they’re going to pursue and how quickly they’re going to release something,” wrote one expert, whose name was not included in the study.
More men than women see AI positively
A divide in the perception of AI by gender persisted even among experts. Among the general population surveyed, 22% of men and 12% of women agreed with the statement that AI will positively impact the United States. Among experts, 63% of men and 36% of women stated that AI’s impact on the U.S. will be positive over the next two decades.
The Pew Research Center had considered adding demographic information by race but did not receive enough responses from Black or Hispanic experts to study these groups separately. This “reflects the racial and ethnic makeup of the field,” the researchers wrote.
“It’s mainly straight White men or men of color who are really investing and excited about these technologies, but … [when] people start to get replaced by technology, it’s always going to affect those underrepresented groups first,” wrote a Black expert, whose name was not disclosed in the study.