Generative AI: Changing the technological landscape

Deloitte recently surveyed over 30,000 consumers and employees across 11 European countries to assess their trust in gen AI and readiness to adopt these tools. The findings reveal both optimism and notable concerns about the potential risks, signalling a critical trust gap that businesses must address.

The European generative AI market is growing rapidly, offering immense opportunities, according to the new Deloitte study. This is also confirmed in Deloitte’s State of Generative AI in the Enterprise quarter three report, where 65% of European business leaders confirmed that they are increasing their investments in gen AI due to the substantial value realised so far.

However, gen AI’s success will not be defined solely by which company invests the most or develops the best algorithms. Instead, it will depend on how effectively employees use these tools and how confident consumers are in gen AI’s benefits. Companies must also overcome significant challenges to ensure people feel comfortable with the technology. To ensure gen AI's long-term success, organizations must prioritize responsible implementation and build trust among employees and consumers.

Importance of trust

According to the survey, trust, a cornerstone of widespread acceptance, is particularly crucial. As innovation surges, the future of generative AI will depend on closing the trust gap between organisations, consumers, and the employees who rely on these tools.

Trust is defined as demonstrating a high degree of competence and the right intent. Both factors are critical for the successful adoption of any innovative technology, especially gen AI. Is the technology reliable, and does it have the interests of its stakeholders in mind?

Bridging the trust gap: What should companies focus on?

The survey outlines a clear path for businesses to build trust and encourage the responsible adoption of gen AI by adopting a trustworthy AI approach, focusing on governance, regulatory compliance, and education.

Build guardrails and provide the right tools: Educating employees about the risks of using unsanctioned tools is a crucial first step to minimising such dangers, especially as many workers take it upon themselves to stay current with gen AI advancements.

Ensure adequate training: A robust learning and development program is crucial to maximise gen AI’s potential and minimise risks. This should cover the integration of gen AI into workflows and its ethical, responsible use.

Embrace organisational transparency: Only 51% of European workers in our study believe their employers are transparent about the gen AI’s impact on their roles. Investing in transparency can address employee concerns and foster a more open, receptive attitude toward gen AI.

Prioritise data privacy: Data privacy and security are critical for building trust, with 66% of gen AI users in our sample citing them as crucial. Respecting user privacy by limiting data use and storage to its intended purpose and duration, with clear opt-in and opt-out mechanisms is a must.

Keep humans in the loop: Maintaining human oversight in gen AI–driven processes is a crucial element to building trust. Organisations should aim to combine human judgement with AI capabilities, especially in areas involving ethical or sensitive implications, to build further confidence in decision-making.

Other key takeaways

• Despite widespread media coverage, 34% of survey respondents were either unaware or unsure of any gen AI tools. Among those familiar with gen AI, less than half (47%) have used it for personal tasks, while under a quarter (23%) said they have used it for work.
• Most European gen AI users believe that it can help businesses improve products and services (71%), automate routine tasks to improve employees’ work experiences (66%) and benefit society overall (59%).
  
• 56% of European gen AI users believe their colleagues use unapproved gen AI tools without the explicit approval of their bosses. Worryingly for organisations, 38% claim these employees do not see any risks in using unapproved tools, and 34% believe that organisations cannot monitor this use.
  
• European consumers trust the results produced by generative AI more when they use it themselves than compared to when organisations use it to provide services. For example, using gen AI to find public service information is trusted more than a bureaucrat using gen AI to assess an individual’s eligibility for a social welfare programme.
  
• Businesses should look to build trust and encourage the responsible adoption of gen AI by building guardrails, providing the right tools, ensuring adequate training, embracing organisational transparency, prioritising data privacy and maintaining human oversight.