Public Opinion on AI in 2025

By Betsy Burton

 

Public Opinion on AI in 2025

I recently dove into the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI)’s 2025 AI Index Report, and I found some really interesting survey data that I thought I should share with you, especially regarding public opinion.

Global Overview

What stood out was a cautiously optimistic yet increasingly discerning global population showing some notable shifts in how people are thinking about AI’s benefits, its ethical implications, and its impact on our daily lives and the workforce.

The 2025 AI Index Report really highlights a growing sense of careful optimism about AI products and services worldwide. Across 26 nations surveyed between 2022 and 2024, 18 of them saw more people believing AI offers more benefits than drawbacks. This bumped up the global share from 52% to 55%.

At the same time, there’s a rising expectation that AI will significantly impact daily life within the next three to five years – about two-thirds of the global population feels this way, which is up 6 percentage points since 2022.

Ah…but Trust in Big Tech

But here’s the kicker: this optimism is balanced by growing skepticism about how ethically AI companies are operating and a drop in trust regarding the fairness of AI systems.

Confidence in AI companies’ ability to protect personal data actually fell from 50% in 2023 to 47% in 2024, and fewer people now think AI systems are unbiased.

Differences by Country

There are some really interesting regional differences (See Figure 1). In countries like China, Indonesia, and Thailand the survey show high levels of optimism (83%, 80%, and 77% respectively).

In Canada, the United States, and the Netherlands remain more skeptical (40%, 39%, and 36% respectively).

 

 

Still, even previously skeptical countries have shown pretty big increases in optimism, with Germany and France both seeing a 10% rise since 2022.

My Analysis

Looking at the public opinion data from the 2025 AI Index Report, I see a really interesting mix of feelings about AI worldwide.

On one hand, people are clearly recognizing AI’s growing benefits and that it’s going to become more and more a part of our daily lives. That’s why we’re seeing rising optimism and expectations. To me, this suggests that AI’s practical uses are becoming much clearer to everyone.

On the other hand, the increasing distrust in AI companies’ ethical practices and the fairness of AI systems signals that the public is becoming much more aware and critical. People aren’t just taking AI at face value; they’re really thinking about its wider societal impacts, especially when it comes to data privacy and algorithmic bias.

Why the Big Regional Differences?

They may be many reasons for the big regional differences – cultural, economic, political and regulatory.

Countries with high AI adoption and maybe less strict data privacy rules, or those that have historically been more open to new tech with less scrutiny, tend to show more optimism. In contrast, Western nations, often with stronger regulations and a bigger focus on individual rights and data protection, are more cautious.

Developing nations may be more optimistic about the opportunities AI can bring them; versus more protectionist developed nations.

Another issue may be infrastructure. Western countries have more existing infrastructure and all the security and governance demand of that infrastructure. Emerging economies may be more willing to take advance of shared services, including AI.

What does this mean for Business?

For businesses, this means that while the market for AI products and services is still growing, there’s a much higher demand for transparent, ethical, and trustworthy AI solutions.

It also means know your customer base!

There were several charts in this survey that reflected differences in age groups, jobs and applications.

Interestingly, in the US the perception of self-driving cars has been around 60-68% afraid, 25% unsure and 9-13% trust. So while some select cities are testing and supporting self-driving taxis, the general public opinion is still concerned.

Bottom Line

While there’s a global rise in optimism about AI’s benefits, it’s definitely tied in with growing worries about ethics and fairness. Businesses absolutely need to understand this nuanced public sentiment.

My recommendation for enterprises is to prioritize transparent AI development, invest in strong data privacy measures, and actively work to reduce algorithmic bias. Building public trust through responsible practices is going to be absolutely essential for long-term success in the ever-evolving AI landscape.

 

 

 

 

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