Consumers Are Calling for Data Freedom - Will AI Companies Listen?
Data shows American consumers are united in their desire to have choice over how their data is used and are tired of giving up control over their digital lives
Results from our national poll show people want to be sure they have a say in when and how their data is used. As companies rush to find data to train advanced models on, the ones that respect users’ rights may have a competitive advantage.
This is part 2 as we dive into our polling data to see how Americans feel about our 5 core principles as it relates to their data in the Age of AI. After focusing on privacy last week, this week we’re looking at agency.
Agency: To preserve data dignity, people should be given choice and control over how their data is used and have the power to change their decision at any time – and those choices should be forced across all the data systems that process that data.
The Big Takeaway: Consumers Want Freedom
The data is clear - consumers want freedom. The freedom to choose what data companies get, what they use it for, and how long they keep it. The key to understanding freedom is that consumers aren’t necessarily opposed to exchanging their data for value - they just want to have the choice in the first place.
To start, there’s an overwhelming consensus of Americans, over 90%, that “companies should give consumers a choice and control about how their data is used.” Beyond the fact that 90% of Americans hardly agree on anything, what’s notable is that the number is even higher among people who are “AI Aware”, meaning people who are familiar with AI technology.
With similar levels of consensus, 79% of respondents agreed that “people should own their personal data and have control over how that data gets used” versus “if personal data is legally available, it is fair to use this data.”
People don’t just want companies that follow privacy laws. They want companies that align with their values by giving them the freedom to manage their personal data.
People are Worried About Their Data Being Shared and Used for Training AI
Why are people so unanimous in calling for data agency? One main reason is that they’re worried their data will be abused. For example, 85% of respondents stated they are concerned about their data being shared without their consent.
These concerns extend into the age of AI, where large language models are trained on vast sets of data - and can be fine-tuned and optimized based on personal data that consumers willingly or unwillingly share. More than 27% of respondents said they are uncomfortable with a company deciding to train AI on their personal data, something that many companies are doing without a second thought.
Companies need to be sophisticated in the way they use user data to enable them to meet consumer demand. As we’ll detail in a future post, our survey data shows that enhanced privacy features increase consumers’ willingness to purchase. This means the organizations that build in privacy functionality, especially organizations training AI models, will be rewarded in the marketplace for prioritizing users’ data agency.
Tell us your thoughts! Do your views align with Americans on data privacy? What privacy features do you consider most important for maintaining a sense of control over your data?
What We’re Reading On Ethical (and Non-Ethical) Tech This Week:
Wholly ineffective and pretty obviously racist’: Inside New Orleans’ struggle with facial-recognition policing - Politico
How to fix the internet - MIT Technology Review
41 states sue Meta, claiming Instagram, Facebook are addictive, harm kids - Washington Post
The fingerprints on a letter to Congress about AI - Politico
Frontier Model Forum updates - OpenAI