Several AI applications can be seen on your smartphone screen, including ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, Microsoft Copilot, Meta AI, Grok, DeepSeek, and more.
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Business leaders and investors are optimistic about artificial intelligence’s potential to increase employee productivity, profitability, and shareholder returns.
The general public is still not convinced.
That’s according to a report released Tuesday by the nonprofit organization Just Capital, which examines how different organizations feel about the potential risks and benefits of AI adoption. Just Capital collected data from institutional investors, analysts, business executives, and U.S. adults between September 27 and November 14.
According to the report, approximately 93% of business leaders and 80% of investors said they believe AI will have a net positive impact on society within the next five years. Only 58% of general respondents said they shared that sentiment.
“There are things we agree with and there are things we disagree with,” Just Capital CEO Martin Whittaker told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Tuesday. “What we found was an overall net positive story regarding the impact of AI on society.”
This study was conducted three years after OpenAI launched a generative AI rush with the launch of ChatGPT, sparking significant investment in AI infrastructure, startups, and products. Some analysts predict that AI spending will reach trillions of dollars by the end of the decade, and this boom is increasing excitement about economic development and the future of technology, while also raising concerns about privacy, safety, and job security.
Differences in opinion are particularly evident when looking at AI in the workplace.
Only 47% of the general public said they believe AI will have a net impact on employee productivity, compared to 94% of investors and 98% of business leaders.
Meanwhile, nearly half of general public respondents expect AI to replace workers and eliminate jobs, the report said. Only 20% of business leaders agreed.
Conversely, 64% of executives say AI will help employees be more productive in their current jobs, compared to just 23% of the public who agree.
“The survey results highlight widespread public concern that increased adoption of AI by companies will have a rapid and direct impact on workers through job cuts,” Just Capital said.
While all three categories of respondents are concerned about the safety and security risks that can arise from AI, business leaders and investors are particularly concerned about disinformation and malicious use of the technology. In addition to these categories, the public is also concerned about the loss of control and environmental impact of AI.
The report found that more than 40% of business leaders said their company’s AI implementation strategy did not take environmental issues into account.
About 60% of investors and half of the public say companies should invest at least 5% of their total AI investments in safety, and 59% of business executives say they should invest up to 5%.
Just Capital said it will continue to track sentiment around AI adoption on a quarterly basis.
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