IT professionals and managers trust generative AI more than traditional AI, while only 40 percent invest in AI security measures. Companies that do prioritize reliable AI are 60 percent more likely to achieve double ROI on their AI projects.
This is according to research conducted by IDC on behalf of SAS. Nearly half of respondents say they trust generative AI completely, while only 18 percent say the same about traditional AI (e.g., machine learning). This is despite the fact that traditional AI is the most established and reliable form.
Although 78 percent of organizations say they trust AI completely, only two in five have actually invested in governance, explainability, and ethical safeguards. This discrepancy between perceived and actual reliability poses a risk.
“Our research shows a contradiction,” says Kathy Lange, Research Director AI & Automation Practice at IDC. “AI with humanlike interactivity and social familiarity seem to encourage the greatest trust, regardless of actual reliability or accuracy.”
Generative AI enjoys greater trust
The survey was conducted among 2,375 IT professionals and senior executives from North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa. It is striking that, despite its limited availability, quantum AI already enjoys complete trust among 26 percent of respondents.
The priority for reliability measures remains low. Only 2 percent of respondents placed AI governance among their top three priorities. Less than 10 percent are working on policies for responsible AI use. This is despite the fact that organizations that do invest in reliable AI achieve significantly better results.
The study reveals that companies prioritizing reliable AI are 1.6 times more likely to achieve a double or even greater return on investment.
Data fundamentals remain a stumbling block
Traditional challenges persist in hindering AI implementations. Forty-nine percent cite a non-centralized data infrastructure as the biggest obstacle. Insufficient data governance (44 percent) and a lack of specialized employees (41 percent) follow.
For AI data management, access to relevant data sources is the biggest problem (58 percent). Data privacy and compliance issues (49 percent) and data quality (46 percent) complete the top three.
“For the good of society, businesses and employees – trust in AI is imperative,” says Bryan Harris, Chief Technology Officer at SAS. “In order to achieve this, the AI industry must increase the success rate of implementations, humans must critically review AI results, and leadership must empower the workforce with AI.”