WASHINGTON—Today, a Morning Consult survey, sponsored by NetChoice, shows that 90% of business and tech leaders who are worried over the lack of transparency in how Microsoft’s ChatGPT artificial intelligence (AI) technology integration in its Office 365 suite stores data are very or somewhat concerned.
The survey revealed that tech decision makers and influencers feel strongly that businesses should be careful about implementing AI tools, and they are concerned about the government being too reliant on one company for AI products. They also want more information about how Microsoft plans to prevent the exposure of sensitive company data, on how ChatGPT stores data, and what privacy and security protections in its artificial intelligence tools that will be offered by the company.
“Our industry has to ensure that early AI products avoid big mistakes. Otherwise, regulators will smother this emerging technology with restrictions,” said NetChoice President & CEO Steve DelBianco. “It’s essential that consumers understand the AI services they’re using are private, secure, accurate and safe, and Morning Consult’s polling, sponsored by NetChoice, reflects this.”
DelBianco continued: “Enterprises should be wary of adding Copilot for Microsoft Office and Teams unless and until Microsoft proves that none of your conversations, email, docs, or data are retained by ChatGPT – whether or not names are redacted. Without that ironclad assurance – which we’ve not seen from Microsoft at this point – the risks of revealing confidential information outweigh the benefits of having ChatGPT summarize calls and emails.”
Highlights:
- 91% of respondents who are worried Microsoft’s AI integration would expose sensitive data are very/somewhat concerned;
- 90% of respondents who are worried over the lack of transparency in how Microsoft’s ChatGPT stores data very/somewhat concerned;
- 75% of respondents were at least somewhat concerned about the U.S. government being too reliant on one company for AI products;
- Leaders are intrigued by the possibilities that AI tools will bring to their businesses, mostly expressing optimism, excitement and curiosity;
- If the government were to step in and regulate AI, leaders feel that any rules should ensure that consumers have options so they can choose the highest quality AI-enabled products (88%);
- Leaders agree that adopting AI tools will help ensure that the U.S. remains internationally competitive (85%);
- Before implementing any AI tools into their companies, leaders expressed they will:
- Be cautious until they understand the risks of such technologies (81%);
- Consider the security risks of these tools (90%), and;
- Consider how these tools will impact their privacy (92%).
Methodology:
This survey was conducted online from March 15-16, 2023 among a sample of 597 Business Decision Makers, IT Decision Makers, and IT Professionals (collectively referred to as “Tech Decision Makers & Influencers”). Total results have a margin of error (MOE) of +/- 4%. Some questions have been redacted for private use.
Find the results of the survey here, alongside our one-pager.
*Note: This research is sponsored by NetChoice and does not reflect the views of Morning Consult, nor is it produced by Morning Consult’s editorial content division.