One-third of consumers reject AI on their devices, with most saying they simply don’t need it — latest report highlights privacy fears and potential costs among other real-world concerns

There is a disconnect between the enthusiasm for AI among the companies pushing its development and the general public at large, but it isn’t just scepticism that’s fueling it. In news that might not be entirely surprising, a new report by the consumer research firm Circana has found that, while most consumers now know what AI is, two-thirds of those opposed to it don’t believe it’s needed on their devices at all.

That’s despite a big push to put AI-powered capabilities onto our devices. For instance, the integration of Microsoft Copilot into Windows has continued apace, with new Windows laptops now shipping with a specialist Copilot key for quick access to its AI assistant. AI functionality has been spotted in almost every major consumer electronic device category available to date.

The Circana report explains the array of concerns among a sizeable minority of the wider public about the need for AI. 86% of those questioned were aware of AI in tech, but 35% responded that they weren’t interested at all. The top reason, according to the report, was the lack of need, but another 59% of the AI-skeptics believed that the technology would impact on their privacy.

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It isn’t just a concern about the functionality itself that is driving the cynicism. 43% of those who were negative about AI listed a worry about the costs of AI, not wanting to pay more for the extra functionality. That’s a concern shared by major banking firm J.P. Morgan last year, providing research that the costs of AI vastly outweigh returns, equivalent to a $35 payment for every iPhone user “in perpetuity.”

A lack of understanding isn’t fueling the doubt about AI among the large minority of this survey’s respondents, either. Only 15% of those who responded from a pool of 18+ consumers based in the United States said that the complexity of the technology on their devices was an issue.

Despite the mood music, however, this report does show that there isn’t a wholescale rejection of AI. A majority of those who responded did, in fact, suggest they had an interest in having AI functionality on at least one of their devices: 65% in total, going up to 82% among respondents aged between 18 and 24, with a “steady decline” among older age groups.

That’s good news for the shareholders, but this survey shows that there is still work for AI companies to justify its widescale adoption. The range of issues – from privacy, to cost, to the actual usefulness of AI functionality, not to mention the environmental and ethical concerns – is likely to grow in intensity as the technology’s impact on our lives continues to grow.

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