Reflection of Its Creators: Qualitative Analysis of General Public and Expert Perceptions of Artificial Intelligence

The increasing prevalence of artificial intelligence (AI) will likely lead to new interactions and impacts for the general public. An understanding of people’s perceptions of AI can be leveraged to design and deploy AI systems toward human needs and values. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 25 individuals in the general public and 20 AI experts in the United States (U.S.) to assess perceptions of AI across levels of expertise. Qualitative analysis revealed that ideas about humanness and ethics were central to perceptions of AI in both groups. Humanness, the set of traits considered to distinguish humans from other intelligent actors, was used to articulate beliefs about AI’s characteristics. Ethics arose in discussions of the role of technology in society and centered around views of AI as made and used by people. General public and expert participants expressed similar perceptions of AI, but articulated beliefs slightly differently. We discuss the implications of humanness-related beliefs and ethical concerns for AI development and deployment.