The study also found that system-level elements like high accuracy, availability of an appeals process, transparency, reduced costs, non-sharing of data, and absence of private company involvement contributed to an elevated level of acceptance and a perceived sense of procedural fairness. The research holds relevance amid ongoing concerns about AI, providing insights into how citizens perceive and accept AI in public services, and highlighting the importance of human involvement and system-level factors.
Key takeaways:
- A new study suggests that increasing human involvement in the deployment of AI for public services can positively impact the acceptance of this technology.
- The research indicates that citizens' concerns about AI go beyond fairness and include potential biases from human inputs. However, when human discretion is perceived as too extensive, citizens tend to favor AI usage.
- In a survey involving 2,143 UK participants, increased human involvement generally correlated with greater acceptance of AI, especially in the context of system-level characteristics such as high accuracy, transparency, reduced costs, and non-sharing of data.
- The findings, which have broad relevance to government services employing AI, were published in Government Information Quarterly and highlight the importance of human involvement and system-level factors in how citizens perceive and accept AI in public services.