{"id":770020,"date":"2025-12-09T06:16:04","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T14:16:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=wherenext&#038;p=770020"},"modified":"2025-12-15T06:32:45","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T14:32:45","slug":"ai-perceptions","status":"publish","type":"wherenext","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/ai-perceptions","title":{"rendered":"How You Feel About AI May Depend on Your Place in the World\u2014and the Org Chart"},"author":501,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","transcript_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","castos_file_data":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[],"tags":[1741,493291,474662],"department":[476822],"wherenext-category":[],"industry":[],"class_list":["post-770020","wherenext","type-wherenext","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","tag-ai","tag-ai-agents","tag-geospatial-ai","department-data-and-ai"],"acf":{"short_description":"A new poll finds global sentiment on AI balanced between concern and excitement\u2014but a closer look reveals more varied perspectives.","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"When the Industrial Revolution introduced power looms and mechanized knitting frames to factory floors, some workers smashed them with hammers. When massive steam dynamos were unveiled at the 1900 World\u2019s Fair, some onlookers responded with <a href=\"https:\/\/invention.si.edu\/invention-stories\/1900-worlds-fair-produced-dazzling-dynamos-great-art-and-our-current-conversation\">religious awe<\/a>."},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Left","content":"<strong>Snapshot<\/strong>: Your outlook on AI may say a lot about where you are geographically and professionally, according to new AI surveys.","snippet":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"By comparison, the public\u2019s reaction to the world\u2019s latest groundbreaking innovation\u2014artificial intelligence\u2014has been fairly measured. Businesses have shown cautious optimism as they integrate AI with existing systems, mindful of its power and risks.\r\n\r\nIn a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/global\/2025\/10\/15\/how-people-around-the-world-view-ai\/\">new AI survey<\/a> conducted by Pew Research Center in 25 countries, 42 percent of people reported that they feel equal levels of concern and excitement about AI. About a third lean more toward concern, while only 16 percent are more excited than worried.\r\n\r\nIn this survey and others, geography has emerged as a predictor of attitudes: The global south, for instance, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bcg.com\/publications\/2025\/ai-at-work-momentum-builds-but-gaps-remain\">is embracing AI with more gusto<\/a> than residents of the global north, according to analysts at Boston Consulting Group (BCG).\r\n\r\nCorporate leaders have greater enthusiasm for AI than the public but are largely implementing it conservatively. As companies seek to merge AI with enterprise technologies like geographic information system (GIS) software, they\u2019re giving nontechnical audiences access to sophisticated analytics tools <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/ai-make-me-a-map\">through generative AI assistants<\/a>. This approach is likely to pave the path for more transformative change.\r\n<h3><strong>AI Survey: How You Feel About AI May Depend on Your Location<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nThe closer people are to centers of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/geospatial-artificial-intelligence\/overview\">AI innovation<\/a>\u2014geographically or within an organization\u2014the likelier they are to feel strongly about it, positively or negatively."},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Right","content":"<strong>Related Read:<\/strong>\r\n\r\n\/\/ AI agentic flows <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/fast-four-ai-agentic-flows-with-a-geospatial-twist?adumkts=branding&amp;aduc=social&amp;adum=external&amp;aduSF=linkedin&amp;aduca=m25wherenext&amp;aduco=mansour-ff&amp;adut=Chris_account\">explained<\/a>","snippet":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"The United States is a global leader in AI, home to companies like OpenAI, the creator of generative AI engine ChatGPT, and Nvidia, whose chips and hardware enable AI innovation. It\u2019s a wealthy country too, which correlates with higher levels of awareness about AI, according to Pew\u2019s research.\r\n\r\nThe US also has the highest rate of apprehension about AI of all the countries surveyed, with 50 percent reporting more concern than excitement about AI, 38 percent feeling equally excited and worried, and 10 percent feeling more excited than concerned.\r\n\r\nBy comparison, Kenya\u2014sometimes called the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brookings.edu\/articles\/ai-sovereignty-in-kenya-building-a-future-rooted-in-local-ownership-and-innovation\/\">Silicon Savannah<\/a> for its rising tech scene\u2014shows greater optimism about AI\u2019s potential: Only 31 percent of respondents are more concerned, and 43 percent are equally excited and concerned.\r\n\r\nAcross the countries surveyed, Israel had the highest percentage of residents who are more excited than concerned about AI, at 29 percent.\r\n\r\nFor its part, the BCG survey found that 72 percent of business workers are regular users of generative AI. The study also found that people in countries with the highest usage had the highest fear of job losses.\r\n\r\nOn the corporate org chart, C-suite leaders\u2014who view new technologies through the lens of strategy and long-term vision\u2014are most excited about AI\u2019s potential, with 85 percent using AI, according to BCG. Among frontline workers, who may be the first to experience work changes wrought by AI, 51 percent already employ the technology.\r\n\r\n<strong>Ask Me Anything: Democratizing Mapping and Analytics Through AI <\/strong>\r\n\r\nFor many businesses, the first steps in AI adoption involve AI agents or assistants. For instance, by combining generative AI with GIS\u2014the mapping and analytics platform used by most Fortune 500 businesses\u2014workers create applications, maps, or dashboards on demand through simple language commands.\r\n\r\nA market analyst can quickly generate a map of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/nexttech-generative-ai-retail\">a retailer\u2019s highest-performing stores<\/a>, or find areas where key customer groups are located, merely by using natural prompts.\r\n\r\nFirms are also experimenting with geospatial AI to extract insights from huge datasets. For example, a utility company could use geospatial AI to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/nexttech-weather-ai\">forecast where winter storms<\/a> will create the highest potential for damage to power lines and other assets.\r\n<h3><strong>Balancing Competitive Advantage and Risk<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nOn a recent webcast exploring the use of GIS technology in the business world, an analyst from one of the world\u2019s most recognized companies <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/webinars\/publications\/wherenext-webcast-14-location-intelligence-in-unexpected-places\">explained the firm\u2019s approach to AI<\/a>:"},{"acf_fc_layout":"blockquote","content":"We're in the stage where it's really starting to shape GIS and location intelligence by improving predictive modeling and even automating data analysis. We're always exploring AI tools, enhancing forecasting, site suitability modeling. It's an interesting time to be in the field."},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Businesses thrive by being the fastest to glean advantages from new technologies while minimizing risks to their organizations and customers. As corporate leaders gauge AI sentiments among their own ranks and the general public, they\u2019re already discovering the early fruits of a once-in-a-generation technology."}],"references":null},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.9 (Yoast SEO v25.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>AI Survey Shows Attitudes Vary by Geography, Corporate Seniority<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Two AI surveys reveal geographic variations in the public\u2019s perception of the technology and the corporate appetite for its use.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/ai-perceptions\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How You Feel 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