The public isn't buying the AI hype – even if CEOs are going all-in

Company bosses and investors are brimming with enthusiasm for artificial intelligence – but the general public isn’t buying it, a survey has found.

About 93% of corporate leaders and 80% of investors said they think AI will be net positive for society compared to just 58% of ordinary people, according to the poll by nonprofit Just Capital. 

The research, centered around perceptions of the technology that has sparked vast investment commitments this year, underscores the divide between those developing and funding AI and those expected to live with its impacts.

Tens of billions in public funds are being directed toward semiconductor manufacturing and AI research, while major tech firms commit hundreds of billions more to data centres, specialised chips and infrastructure. Yet with valuations already sky-high and firms like OpenAI and Anthropic still losing billions every year, fears are rising of an investment bubble.

Just Capital found broad agreement that AI could help productivity and innovation, but also highlighted concerns about safety, job disruption, and the environment. Majorities of each group named safety and security as top priorities. 

But expectations about how much companies should spend on those safeguards differed sharply. While investors and the public want firms to devote more than 5% of their AI budgets to safety, most executives said they plan to spend only 1% to 5%.

There were also gaps over who should benefit from any profit gains created by AI. Executives said they were more likely to direct those gains to shareholders and research and development, about 28% and 30% respectively, than to worker training, which drew just 17%. 

The report also found public and investor support for AI hinges heavily on companies helping workers adapt, raising concerns that limited training could mean some employees are left behind.

Environmental impact was another weak spot. Only about 17% of business leaders said they are including environmental planning in their AI strategies, even though roughly a third of respondents in both the public and executive groups expect AI to worsen environmental pressures.

Martin Whittaker, chief executive of Just Capital, said: “This is a defining period for every business leader. How to deploy AI the right way in order to create value for their companies, their shareholders, and all their major stakeholders – not to mention for society at large – is the strategic question of the moment.”