IT professionals trust in artificial intelligence vs. human experts for achieving sustainable development goals

This study investigates trust of information technology (IT) professionals in artificial intelligence (AI), human experts, and their combination for achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through a survey of IT project managers and frequent AI users across France, the United Kingdom, and Belgium, our findings reveal that respondents place significantly higher trust in human experts and combinations of AI and human expertise, compared to AI. Notably, individuals who most frequently use AI technology show stronger preference for human-AI collaborative approaches, suggesting that familiarity with AI leads to better understanding of its complementary role with human expertise. The study demonstrates that successful AI implementation for achieving SDGs requires careful integration with human oversight rather than standalone deployment.