Trust in AI technology and the companies that develop it is dropping, in both the U.S. and around the world, according to new data from Edelman shared first with Axios.
Why it matters: The move comes as regulators around the world are deciding what rules should apply to the fast-growing industry. “Trust is the currency of the AI era, yet, as it stands, our innovation account is dangerously overdrawn,” Edelman global technology chair Justin Westcott told Axios in an email. “Companies must move beyond the mere mechanics of AI to address its true cost and value — the ‘why’ and ‘for whom.’”
“Trust in AI” is layperson for “believe the technology is as capable as it is promised to be”. This has nothing to do with stupidity or nefariousness.
It’s “believe the technology is as capable as we imagined it was promised to be.”
The experts never promised Star Trek AI.
The marketers did, though.
They’re laypeople.
Most of the CEOs in Tech and even Founder in Startups overhyping their products are lay people or at best are people with some engineering training that made it in an environment which is all about overhype and generally swindling others (I was in Startups in London a few years ago) so they’re hardly going to be straight-talking and pointing out risks & limitations.
There era of the Engineers (i.e. experts) driving Tech and messaging around Tech has ended decades ago, at about the time when Sony Media took the reins of the company from Sony Consumer Electronics and the quality of their products took a dive and Sony became just another MBA-managed company (so, late 90s).
Very few “laypeople” will ever hear or read the take on Tech from actual experts.
They did promise skynet ai though. They’ve misrepresented it a great deal