investor, corporate and public sentiments on AI
Various AI applications can be seen on a smartphone screen, including ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, Microsoft Copilot, Meta AI, Grok, and DeepSeek.
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Corporate leaders and investors are brimming with optimism about AI’s potential to increase worker productivity, profitability and shareholder returns.
The general public was not convinced.
That’s according to a report released Tuesday by the nonprofit group Just Capital, which examines how different groups feel about the potential risks and benefits of AI adoption. Just Capital collected data from institutional investors and analysts, company executives, and U.S. adults between September 27 and November 14.
Nearly 93 percent of corporate leaders and 80 percent of investors said they believe AI will have a net positive impact on society in the next five years, according to the report. Only 58% of public respondents said they shared this sentiment.
“There are areas of agreement and disagreement,” Just Capital CEO Martin Whittaker told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Tuesday. “What we found was a clear positive story about the impact of AI on society overall.”
The survey comes three years after OpenAI launched its generative AI push with the launch of ChatGPT, sparking a flood of investment in AI infrastructure, startups and products. Some analysts say AI spending trillions of dollars By the end of the decade, the boom is fueling excitement about the future of economic progress and technology, but also raising concerns about privacy, security and job security.
Different opinions are especially noticeable when looking at artificial intelligence in the workplace.
Only 47% of the public said they think AI will have a positive net impact on employee productivity, compared to 94% of investors and 98% of corporate leaders.
Meanwhile, the report noted that nearly half of general public respondents expect AI to replace workers and eliminate jobs. Only 20% of corporate leaders agree.
In contrast, 64% of executives say AI will help employees be more productive in their current jobs, while only 23% of the public agree.
“The survey findings reveal widespread public concern that companies’ increasing adoption of AI will have rapid and direct consequences for workers through layoffs,” Just Capital said.
All three categories of respondents are concerned about the safety and security risks that may arise from AI, but corporate leaders and investors are particularly concerned about disinformation and malicious use of the technology. In addition to these categories, the public also fears loss of control and the environmental impact of artificial intelligence.
More than 40 percent of corporate leaders said environmental issues were not factored into their AI deployment strategies, according to the report.
Nearly 60 percent of investors and half the public said companies should spend more than 5 percent of their total AI investments on security, while 59 percent of corporate leaders said they should spend up to 5 percent.
Just Capital said it will continue to monitor views on AI deployment on a quarterly basis.
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