Optimism meets distrust: 5 charts on consumer perceptions of AI

Consumers are cautiously optimistic about AI use. Over 100 million people will use generative AI (genAI) in the US this year, per our June 2024 forecast. But many are still distrustful of the tech as it relates to consumer privacy, personalization, and its capacity to hallucinate. Here are five charts demonstrating how consumers really feel about AI, and what marketers can do to make them more comfortable with the evolving technology.

1. Most people are optimistic about the use of AI

Despite valid cause for concern explored in other charts, 54% of US adults are either very or somewhat optimistic about the future of AI, according to ThinkNow Research. Millennials are the most likely to be bullish on AI (60%), followed by Gen X (54%) and Gen Z (52%).

But those numbers leave room for growth. Thought leaders, marketers, and brands who are optimistic about AI need to demonstrate its real-world use via chatbots, personalization, data analysis, and other forms of optimization. They also need to show there are proper guardrails in place to prevent issues of bias and hallucination that arise from genAI use.

2. Most digital shoppers have used AI

Some 55% of digital shoppers worldwide have already used AI, according to data from VML. But 58% of consumers worldwide are concerned about AI and its effect on the world, the same data showed.

Brands and retailers using AI need to integrate it seamlessly in places like search and product recommendations, so it improves consumer experience and drives conversions without giving people an eerie feeling that their experience is being facilitated by robots.

3. US consumers aren’t comfortable with sharing their data with AI tools

Most US adults (76%) are either very or somewhat uncomfortable with AI tools using their personal data to enhance their shopping experience and recommendations, according to CivicScience data provided to EMARKETER.

GenAI personalization can provide spot-on marketing that connects customers with products they’re looking for faster. But it can also remove the selection process involved in buying. And that selection process is vital for many customers to feel like they’ve found the product that is the best quality and price compared to other options.

4. Consumers don’t have high interest in many AI-driven tools

Some 69% of US adults are not at all interested in AI-powered personal shopping assistants, according to CivicScience data provided to EMARKETER. But the majority of US adults (55%) are at least somewhat interested in image-based item search.

Product marketers shouldn’t abandon shopping assistants, because consumer opinion could certainly shift as these become more common. They should, however, make sure they are investing in multi-modal search capabilities.

“AI search and AI tools in general have so much potential to improve the shopper's experience when it comes to these marketplaces with really vast product catalogs,” said our analyst Sarah Marzano on an episode of the Behind the Numbers podcast.

Marketers are already invested in search advertising; 62.2% of US retail media ad spend will go to search this year, per our March 2024 forecast. That’s a place marketers should keep investing in as image-based search makes searching in marketplaces even more useful for consumers.

5. CEOs are taking steps to ensure responsible AI use—but there’s room for improvement

Most CEOs have either implemented or plan to implement AI guardrails including proper training, assessment for biases, human oversight, third-party review, and industry standards. These initiatives will make people using AI—both consumers and employees—trust the tech more.

Without clear regulations in place, the onus is on organizations to ensure they are implementing AI safely. These companies can build trust with consumers by ensuring there is human oversight for any generative use of AI, disclosing use, and protecting any consumer data used by genAI.

This was originally featured in the EMARKETER Daily newsletter. For more marketing insights, statistics, and trends, subscribe here.