TLDR: A recent global report, ‘The IDC Data and AI Impact Report: The Trust Imperative’ commissioned by SAS, indicates that IT and business leaders place considerably more trust in generative AI compared to other forms of artificial intelligence, despite a notable gap in investments for AI safeguards.
A groundbreaking global study has unveiled a significant trend in the corporate world: IT and business leaders are demonstrating a remarkably higher level of trust in generative artificial intelligence (AI) than in any other AI variant. This key finding comes from ‘The IDC Data and AI Impact Report: The Trust Imperative,’ a comprehensive research initiative commissioned by SAS, a global leader in data and AI, and conducted by IDC.
The report, based on a global survey of 2,375 respondents across North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Asia Pacific, included a balanced mix of IT professionals and line-of-business leaders. It highlights that emerging AI technologies, particularly generative AI, are evoking the most confidence among decision-makers. Nearly half of all respondents, specifically 48%, reported ‘complete trust’ in generative AI, while agentic AI garnered complete trust from 33% of participants.
Paradoxically, this surging trust in generative AI exists alongside a concerning lack of investment in making AI systems truly trustworthy. The research found that only 40% of organizations are actively investing in crucial safeguards such as governance, explainability, and ethical frameworks for their AI deployments. Even more striking, among those with minimal investment in trustworthy AI systems, generative AI was perceived as 200% more trustworthy than traditional AI, like machine learning, despite the latter being more established, reliable, and explainable.
Kathy Lange, Research Director of the AI and Automation Practice at IDC, commented on this intriguing contradiction: “Our research shows a contradiction: that forms of AI with humanlike interactivity and social familiarity seem to encourage the greatest trust, regardless of actual reliability or accuracy.” Lange further posed a critical question for the industry: “As AI providers, professionals and personal users, we must ask: GenAI is trusted, but is it always trustworthy? And are leaders applying the necessary guardrails and AI governance practices to this emerging technology?”
Also Read:
- McKinsey Report: Generative AI Poised to Unleash Trillions in Global Economic Value by 2040
- Deloitte Survey Reveals Widespread Generative AI Adoption and Increased Investment in Dealmaking
Despite the high levels of trust, survey respondents did express significant concerns regarding AI. Data privacy was a top worry for 62% of leaders, followed by transparency and explainability at 57%, and ethical use at 56%. Organizations that do prioritize trustworthy AI are shown to be 60% more likely to double the return on investment (ROI) of their AI projects, underscoring the tangible benefits of a responsible approach.
