IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jadmsc/v14y2024i11p288-d1514234.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Public Anxieties About AI: Implications for Corporate Strategy and Societal Impact

Author

Listed:
  • Michael Gerlich

    (Center for Strategic Corporate Foresight and Sustainability, SBS Swiss Business School, 8302 Kloten, Switzerland)

Abstract

This research critically examines the underlying anxieties surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) that are often concealed in public discourse, particularly in the United Kingdom. Despite an initial reluctance to acknowledge AI-related fears in focus groups, where 86% of participants claimed no significant concerns, further exploration through anonymous surveys and interviews uncovered deep anxieties about AI’s impact on job security, data privacy, and ethical governance. The research employed a mixed-methods approach, incorporating focus groups, a survey of 867 participants, and 53 semi-structured interviews to investigate these anxieties in depth. The study identifies key sources of concern, ranging from the fear of job displacement to the opacity of AI systems, particularly in relation to data handling and the control exerted by corporations and governments. The analysis reveals that anxieties are not evenly distributed across demographics but rather shaped by factors such as age, education, and occupation. These findings point to the necessity of addressing these anxieties to foster trust in AI technologies. This study highlights the need for ethical and transparent AI governance, providing critical insights for policymakers and organisations as they navigate the complex socio-technical landscape that AI presents.

Suggested Citation

  • Michael Gerlich, 2024. "Public Anxieties About AI: Implications for Corporate Strategy and Societal Impact," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-25, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jadmsc:v:14:y:2024:i:11:p:288-:d:1514234
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3387/14/11/288/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3387/14/11/288/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Yu-Che Chen & Michael J. Ahn & Yi-Fan Wang, 2023. "Artificial Intelligence and Public Values: Value Impacts and Governance in the Public Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-22, March.
    2. Michael Gerlich, 2024. "Brace for Impact: Facing the AI Revolution and Geopolitical Shifts in a Future Societal Scenario for 2025–2040," Societies, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-17, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Catalin Vrabie, 2023. "E-Government 3.0: An AI Model to Use for Enhanced Local Democracies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-19, June.
    2. Atabek Atabekov, 2023. "Public Functions Implementation by Artificial Intelligence: Current Practices and Prospects for Common Measures within Particular Periods across Continents and Regions," Societies, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-24, July.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jadmsc:v:14:y:2024:i:11:p:288-:d:1514234. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.