The AI Adoption Disconnect: Why the Public Isn’t Buying What the AI Experts Are Building

A report from the Pew Research Center reveals something AI leaders need to pay attention to: a massive gap between how AI experts and the general public view the future of AI.

This disconnect helps explain a persistent problem in enterprise AI adoption. Here are a few eye-opening stats:

• 56% of AI experts believe AI will positively impact the U.S. in the next 20 years. Only 17% of the public agrees.

• 76% of experts say AI will personally benefit them. Just 24% of U.S. adults feel the same, while 43% actually believe it will harm them (!!).

• 73% of experts expect AI to improve productivity, compared to only 23% of the public.

• While nearly two-thirds of the public fear AI will eliminate jobs, less than 40% of experts share that concern.

Clearly, the people building and studying AI have very different perspectives from those most affected by it, and when it comes to AI adoption, the challenge isn’t technical, it’s overwhelmingly cultural and organizational.

This is why Caspius focuses on human-centered AI adoption. Our approach focuses on people first. We assess AI literacy, engage employees, and create strategies that build trust and confidence while fully engaging the workforce.

The Pew report isn’t all doom and gloom, though. Interestingly, AI experts and the public do agree on a few important things:

• The need for stronger regulation and governance

• More transparency and user control

• Reducing bias in AI systems, especially gender bias (interestingly, both groups believe men's perspectives are 1.7x more likely to be reflected in AI outputs)

These shared concerns offer a path forward but only if companies take them seriously.

So here’s the question: Is low AI adoption in your organization due to a technology issue or a trust gap between experts and your workforce?

If you're not sure, let's talk.