- Investors demonstrate a moderately high level of optimism about AI.
- They still have concerns about sustainability and staffing
- Business leaders may need to listen more to investors
A new study from Just Capital found that while most business executives (93%) and investors (80%) predict that AI will have a net positive effect on society over the next five years, enthusiasm among the general public (58%) is not as high.
Productivity, innovation, profitability and shareholder returns are some of the areas where business leaders and investors expect to see the greatest returns.
However, about half of the public still shares concerns about job losses, although only one in five business executives agree.
The public is not as optimistic about AI as businesses
Regardless of their perceptions, all three groups of respondents agree that AI safety is a top priority, but to varying degrees. The public fears all risks equally, including loss of control and the environmental impact of heavy computer use, but business leaders are most concerned about misinformation and malicious use.
Thus, members of the public are more likely to want governments to introduce broader regulation across all risk areas related to AI.
According to the data, investors are most likely to believe that AI would have a negative impact on the environment. Only 17% of business leaders currently consider sustainability in their AI deployments, and two-fifths (42%) exclude it altogether. Other previous reports have indicated similar pressure from shareholders to focus on the environmental impacts of AI.
With ongoing technological changes, 90% of the public and 97% of investors agree that training workers in AI is now an essential requirement, but companies don’t always agree.
“Areas of underinvestment or gaps between investor, public and business expectations represent key opportunities for impact, leadership and competitive differentiation,” the researchers conclude.
The report’s data generally shows that investor expectations align more closely with those of the general public, with companies tending to underperform in terms of allocating sufficient investment to environmental budgets, training and worker support.
In the future, internal and external pressures may push companies to fine-tune their AI strategies, and the companies most likely to stand out will be those that respond to these pressures.
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