LONDON, August 14 — A 2024 survey of more than 10,000 people across the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia has laid bare a marked generational rift in attitudes toward artificial intelligence: 62% of adults aged 18 to 34 say they distrust AI systems, citing fears over privacy, job displacement, and ethical pitfalls such as bias and misinformation. The poll, carried out by a reputable research organisation, also reveals that the scepticism extends to the billionaire tech leaders most publicly associated with AI’s march forward.
Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Sundar Pichai each find themselves on the receiving end of that distrust: 58% of young respondents believe these figures place profit and technological progress ahead of broader societal well-being. As ever, the detail that matters lies in the numbers.
The survey shows that 70% of young adults worry AI could eliminate jobs in their chosen fields within the next decade. Another 65% express concern about the misuse of personal data by AI-driven platforms. And 55% doubt that current regulations are up to the task of mitigating these risks.
A generational divide
The findings highlight a clear age-based split. While 62% of 18- to 34-year-olds report distrust in AI, only 45% of those aged 55 and older share the same concern. The paradox is striking: the digitally native cohort is both the most frequent user of AI tools and the most critical of their long-term impact.
Privacy emerges as a central anxiety. The survey underscores that young people are acutely aware of how AI systems ingest and act on personal data, with 65% explicitly worried about misuse.
Jobs, ethics, and the regulatory gap
Job displacement ranks high on the list of fears. Among young respondents, 70% believe AI could render roles in their fields obsolete within ten years. Ethical implications are equally pressing.
Bias in training data, the amplification of misinformation, and the lack of transparency in AI systems all feature prominently in the survey’s findings. Then there is the question of regulation.
A majority of young people—55%—do not believe existing frameworks are sufficient to address the risks posed by AI.
The trust deficit with tech’s titans
The survey also captures a growing wariness toward the billionaires who have become the public face of AI advocacy. Musk, Zuckerberg, and Pichai, among others, have been vocal proponents of AI’s potential, but their messaging appears to resonate poorly with younger audiences. The 58% of respondents who feel these figures prioritise profit over societal good suggests a deepening distrust in the motives behind AI’s rapid development.
This is not merely a critique of individual leaders but a broader questioning of the tech industry’s incentives. The survey’s findings imply that many young people see AI as a tool being shaped by a handful of powerful actors, rather than a technology being developed in the public interest.
What comes next is clear: the debate over AI’s trajectory is no longer confined to boardrooms and research labs. It has entered the public consciousness, particularly among the generation that will inherit its consequences.
Sources
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