Factors Affecting Consumers’ Attitudes Towards Artificial Intelligence
Mariano Méndez-Suárez, Luca Delbello, Alejandro de Vega de Unceta, Ana Lucia Ortega Larrea
Abstract
To successfully develop, launch, communicate, and promote new AI-intensive products, marketers need a deep understanding of how attitudes toward science and technology (S&T) shape positive or negative attitudes toward AI within their target groups. To gain insight into these dynamics, this study employs non-metrical multidimensional scaling to map the opinions of European consumers (N = 20,671) regarding S&T and AI. The results reveal a strong link between opinions on S&T and attitudes toward AI: individuals with a positive opinion of S&T tend to have a positive attitude toward AI, and vice versa. Regarding sex differences, men generally exhibit a positive opinion about the impact of S&T on society, which translates into positive or very positive attitudes toward AI among both older and younger men. In contrast, women of all ages tend to have a more negative view of the impact of S&T on society, leading to a higher likelihood of negative or very negative attitudes toward AI. Incorporating these findings into their marketing and promotion strategies will help practitioners effectively position themselves for the transition to an AI-driven society.