Companies and government must work together to promote strong dutch legislation and transparency on GenAI use
- Only 16% of the Dutch are enthusiastic about GenAI, compared to a global average of 30%.
- The Dutch worldwide are the least likely to do business with companies that use GenAI (22%).
- 51% of the Dutch say regulations should not discourage innovation by companies, but think transparency about GenAI is crucial.
- 75% of Dutch consumers feel that society cannot keep up with AI developments.
- New international survey gauges the opinions of 10,000 consumers on their confidence in the use of Generative AI (GenAI) by companies.
Amsterdam, Oct. 12, 2023 - Thoughtworks (NASDAQ: TWKS), a global technology consulting firm that integrates strategy, design and engineering, presents the results of a new international consumer survey on generative AI (GenAI). There is worldwide enthusiasm about GenAI, but the down-to-earth Dutchman appears reluctant to use it and skeptical about its benefits. Companies and the government must therefore work on transparency, regulation and ethical standards to gain their trust.
The 'GenAI: What consumers want' study is about the social acceptance of the use of GenAI by companies and was conducted among 10,000 respondents in ten countries, including the Netherlands. The reluctance of the Dutch respondents is striking. Only 22% of them would be more likely to buy something from companies using GenAI to improve their products and services, compared to a global average of 43%. Our enthusiasm for GenAI is also relatively low. This applies to only 16% of the Dutch, while the figure is as high as 30% worldwide.
Martin ter Horst, managing director of Thoughtworks Netherlands and Scandinavia, explains: "Dutch people are above average skeptical about GenAI due to the greater awareness of the potential data privacy issues and other unwanted effects and applications of this technology. They don't trust it. For this reason, we also advocate that consumers, government and businesses work together to create trust through legislation and responsible behavior around AI."
Here are the key findings from the survey:
Fear of and enthusiasm about GenAI go hand in hand
- 16% of the Dutch are enthusiastic about GenAI, 49% are partly enthusiastic, partly fearful. The international averages are 30% and 42%, respectively.
- 83% of consumers in the survey hope companies use GenAI to be more innovative and serve them better. Dutch consumers who would be more likely to buy from companies using GenAI do so for more innovation (55%), for a more consistent approach through automation (40%) and better customer experience through faster support (38%).
- 64% of Dutch consumers expect companies to use technology ethically in innovation. Globally, the figure is 87%.
There needs to be regulation for responsible use of GenAI
- Most consumers see the need for laws and regulations for GenAI. Governments should play a crucial role in its design, development and deployment. The vast majority of Dutch respondents (88%) believe that government regulation is needed to ensure that companies use GenAI responsibly.
- Companies that do not use GenAI responsibly and ethically, according to 91% of the Dutch can potentially expect problems, for example with laws and regulations (67%) or reputational damage (68%).
- Companies must be transparent about the use of GenAI, otherwise they risk losing customers. Most Dutch consumers (80%) prefer companies where transparency and fairness are central to their use of GenAI.
Companies have a social right to use GenAI
- Of Dutch respondents, 51% believe companies should continue their high pace of GenAI innovation while effective government legislation continues to be developed (international average: 68%).
- For responsible use of GenAI by companies, Dutch consumers believe they should be required by law to describe how they use data (68%). In addition, they should not generate illegal content (58%) and should report when content is generated with GenAI (63%).
Mike Mason, chief AI officer at Thoughtworks: "In a world where trust is paramount, companies need to understand that gaining public trust through ethical AI use is not only a legal obligation, but also a strategic advantage. Thoughtworks has been advising clients for decades on how to harness all the benefits of the latest emerging technologies while building responsible governance into their business processes to ensure customer trust."
Lauren Woodley, principal research manager at Vanson Bourne: "Thoughtworks has a unique perspective on the rapidly evolving topic of GenAI, in part by examining how consumers feel when interacting with companies using this type of technology. The findings are alarming: consumers report high levels of concern about how companies are using their GenAI-related data. This highlights the social responsibility of companies in gaining trust and reassuring consumers. If companies manage to address concerns by being proactive and transparent, the future of GenAI looks positive."
The study, "GenAI: What consumers want," is available for download here.
For more background and interaction: join a LinkedIn Live discussion on a responsible approach to GenAI with Mike Mason of Thoughtworks and Ramak Molavi of the Mozilla Foundation on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023 at 2:30 p.m., moderated by Lauren Woodley of Vanson Bourne. More details about the discussion can be found here.
Methodology
Thoughtworks commissioned independent market research firm Vanson Bourne to conduct this study. For the global study, 10,000 consumers were surveyed in August 2023, including 1,000 in Australia, Brazil, Germany, India, Italy, the Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. All consumers were 18 years of age or older and had to be familiar with AI to participate.
All interviews were conducted using a rigorous multi-level screening process to ensure that only suitable candidates could participate.
Additional information:
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