Survey Finds 84% of British Adults Wary of Handing AI Too Much Control
A Censuswide poll of 2,000 UK adults found only a minority would let AI agents run routine tasks without some form of human approval.
A survey of 2,000 British adults found that 84% would give artificial intelligence only moderate or low access to their lives, or none at all, according to techradar.com. The poll was conducted by the research firm Censuswide.
Respondents drew a clear line between assistance and autonomy. 27% said they are happier for AI to prepare things and wait for their approval, while 23% are comfortable letting AI carry out routine tasks as long as it keeps permission for more important ones.
34% said they would not be comfortable with any level of AI control over their lives. The division is sharpest by age: 47% of respondents over 55 said they would refuse to give an AI agent control over their lives, while 20% of 25-34 year-olds described themselves as comfortable with high levels of AI agent control.
Concern about consequences is limited but present. Only 19% consider AI to be a threat to humanity, and just 9% say they have no worries about AI at all. 14% are concerned about the impact of AI on their ability to stay out of legal trouble, rising to 21% among 18-24 year-olds.
On accountability, 40% believe the company that created the AI should be held responsible for rogue AI worries. Jonathan Armstrong, a Partner at Punter Southall, said it is important to have a debate about AI liability.
Quick answers
How many people were surveyed about AI control?
Censuswide surveyed 2,000 British adults. 84% said they would give AI only moderate or low access to their lives, or none at all.
How many respondents would accept no AI control at all?
34% said they would not be comfortable with any AI control, while 27% are happy for AI to prepare things and wait for approval.
Who do respondents think should be responsible for rogue AI?
40% believe the company that created the AI should be held responsible for rogue AI worries.