To trust or not to trust: poll reveals Russian attitudes toward AI

MOSCOW, October 9. /TASS/. As AI becomes ubiquitous, 44% of Russians report having a high level of trust in artificial intelligence, according to a poll by the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM).
“The AI trust rating varies by application, led by virtual assistants (smart speakers, watches, chatbots, etc.) (44%), creativity (42%) and robotics (40%). These areas are perceived as relatively safe and understandable by most people,” the report says.
The survey revealed that Russians are less willing to trust artificial intelligence when it comes to the economy, social sphere, military affairs (19% each), security (18%) and public administration (13%). It is noted that these areas are directly related to decision-making that affects people’s lives, raising certain ethical concerns about the use of AI. “Pure ‘techno-optimists,’ those who noted the positive impact of AI in all three areas, account for 8%, exactly the same number of ‘technoskeptics,’ those who see negative consequences in the use of AI in all three areas,” VTsIOM added.
The VTsIOM-Sputnik All-Russian phone survey was conducted via telephone interview on October 4, 2024. A total of 1,600 Russians aged 18 years and older participated in the poll.
The data are weighted by socio-demographic parameters. The margin of error with a 95% probability does not exceed 2.5%.