Trust in AI far higher in China than West, poll shows

"In China, 87 percent of people trust AI, compared with just 32 percent in the US, according to an Edelman poll. China's public is far more trusting of artificial intelligence than their peers in the United States and other Western countries, a survey has found. In China, 87 percent of people said they trusted AI, compared with 67 percent in Brazil, 32 percent in the US, 36 percent in the United Kingdom, and 39 percent in Germany, the Edelman poll released on Tuesday showed."

"More than seven in 10 Chinese respondents said they expected AI to play a role in solving a range of societal issues, including climate change, mental illness, poverty and polarisation. Only one-third of Americans said they expected AI to reduce poverty and polarisation, though half predicted a positive impact on climate-related challenges. While 54 percent of Chinese said they embraced greater use of AI, just 17 percent of Americans answered the same, according to the survey."

"Trust was highest among young people, though still much lower in Western countries. Eighty-eight percent of Chinese aged 18-34 said they had faith in the technology, compared with 40 percent of Americans in that age group. For businesses and policymakers, this divergence presents a double challenge, Edelman Senior Vice President Gray Grossman said in a report accompanying the survey. In high-trust markets, the task is to sustain optimism through responsible deployment and straightforward evidence of benefit."

"In low-trust markets, the task is to rebuild confidence in the institutions behind the technology. The survey results come as the US and China are locked in a battle for tech supremacy, with firms in both countries rolling out increasingly sophisticated AI models. While the US is widely seen as still having an edge in producing the most powerful AI, Chinese firms such as Alibaba and DeepSeek have made major inroads in recent months with open language models that offer customers much lower cost"

Eighty-seven percent of people in China express trust in AI, far higher than 32 percent in the United States and lower percentages across several Western countries. Over 70 percent of Chinese expect AI to help address climate change, mental illness, poverty and polarisation, while Americans are substantially less optimistic about poverty and polarisation. Fifty-four percent of Chinese embrace greater AI use versus 17 percent of Americans. Younger Chinese show especially high trust. Businesses must sustain optimism in high-trust markets through responsible deployment and clear benefits, and rebuild institutional confidence in low-trust markets amid US–China tech competition.

Read at www.aljazeera.com