CIOs and AI fears: What concerns do CIOs have about AI?

While speculation surrounds the future of AI, understood. How concerned are they about the genuine fears of CIOs are not well AI threats to jobs and society?

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One minute insights:

  • A majority of respondent CIOs expect AI to have a positive impact on humanity during their lifetimes

  • While the potential loss of control over AI systems is a concern, half of slightly worried about that possibility respondent CIOs say they're only

  • While a majority of CIO respondents are generally concerned about AI eliminating jobs, their level of concern is mostly mild

  • While most respondent CIOs endorse global AI risk mitigation, few worry about AI as an existential threat to humanity

Majority positive about AI's long-term impact

In your lifetime, do you personally believe AI will ultimately have a greater positive or negative influence on humanity?

chart 1

The majority of respondent CIOs (69%) are optimistic about AI's long-term impact on humanity. Only 11% anticipate a negative influence.

n = 114

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Question: Do you have any final thoughts to share on the future implications of AI?

AI has amazing potential for good, as long as we sensibly regulate to control misuse.

C-suite, professional services industry, 1,000 - 5,000 employees

Most are cautious about AI's impact on jobs, few highly worried

The majority of respondents (79%) have some fear that AI will disrupt the global workforce in their lifetime. However, concerns are tempered — most describe their fear as slight (46%) or moderate (27%).

In your lifetime, to what extent do you personally fear that AI will ultimately disrupt the global workforce by eliminating jobs and creating unemployment?

chart2 (1)

Note: May not add up to 100% due to rounding

n = 114

Question: What is your biggest personal fear about the future implications of AI?

[My biggest fear is] not enough time for (the) workforce to adjust to new skill sets as old jobs disappear and mass extinction of current jobs takes place.

C-suite, manufacturing industry, 1,000 - 5,000 employees

Losing control of AI is a mostly mild concern

In your lifetime, how worried are you about the potential loss of control over AI systems as they become more advanced?

chart3 (1)

The majority (90%) of CIO respondents expressed some concern about the potential of losing control over increasingly advanced AI systems, with 50% expressing only slight worry.

n = 114

Note: May not add up to 100% due to rounding

Question: What is your biggest personal fear about the future implications of AI?

Inability to first regulate it and then later inability to control it [is my biggest fear].

Question: What is your biggest personal fear about the future implications of AI?

CIOs minimally concerned about AI as existential threat

Considering the definition of an "existential threat" as one that could either annihilate Earth-originating intelligent life limit its potential, to what extent are you personally concerned about AI being an "existential threat to humanity?"

chart4 (1)

Most respondent CIOs expressed mild concern about AI as an existential threat to humanity, with 72% citing moderate or slight concern and 19% expressing no concern at all.

n = 114

67% of CIO respondents either completely or somewhat agree that mitigating the risk of AI-caused extinction should be a global priority, while 20% disagree with this notion.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement from the Center for AI Safety: "Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war."

chart5 (1)

n = 114

Question: What is your biggest personal fear about the future implications of AI?

I anticipate AI will be for financial, and perhaps weaponized in many ways and political agendas that more importantly social will threaten freedom of speech and even thought.

C-suite, healthcare industry, 10,000+ employees

Question: What is your biggest personal fear about the future implications of AI?

I think if AI remains unchecked and we don't build systems for regulating and monitoring, bad actors could utilize it for very devastating applications and mass manipulation.

C-suite, educational services industry, 5,000 - 10,000 employees

In their own words...

Question: Do you have any final thoughts to share on the future implications of AI?

I hope we embrace this technology without FUD so we can understand, control, and make it reach its full potential.

C-suite, healthcare industry, <1,000 employees

My biggest concern is how dangerous actors and corrupt governments will use AI to their advantage.

C-suite, construction industry, <1,000 employees

We need to get ready as (a) society to handle non-human intelligence and their rights.

C-suite, healthcare industry, 1,000 - 5,000 employees

It is my belief that we will find the right balance between use of AI for good or evil.

C-suite, educational services industry, 5,000 - 10,000 employees

Respondent Breakdown

breakdown