- Only 14% of UK consumers say they would trust autonomous AI agents
- Control, accountability and transparency would help generate more trust
- Enterprises should also consider updating identity and permissions for stronger governance.
New findings from EY claim that three in four (74%) UK consumers have used AI in the last six months, quantifying widespread widespread adoption; However, only 14% said they would be comfortable relying on fully autonomous, agent-style AI.
With trust so low, the study shows a growing trust gap between what AI is actually capable of doing and what users are comfortable with, implying that capability is no longer the limiting factor for AI.
As EY further investigated the topic, it found that users are also demanding greater control, accountability and transparency from their tools.
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Trust gap shows that trust is the limiting factor in AI
Data shows that security and privacy are big concerns for users, with only two in five trusting companies (43%) or governments (41%) to manage their AI data effectively, and three-quarters (73%) being concerned about AI systems being hacked or breached.
“As AI systems become more autonomous, trust must be built through robust databases, clear accountability and visible human oversight,” explained EY UK&I leader Matthew Ringelheim.
At the same time, separate research from Ping Identity also shows how identity and governance systems that were previously designed for humans are now struggling to keep up with the demands of autonomous AI.
The study reveals that AI agents can combine permissions in unintended ways to potentially bypass controls within governance blind spots.
“Currently, 58 percent of organizations describe their data as ‘chaos,’ which is more worrying as AI becomes increasingly autonomous,” explained AND head of digital data Richard Bovey.
Now that AI use cases are proven, it’s time for companies to focus on getting the implementation right, which starts with strong foundations of governance, data availability, and trust.
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