Dive Brief:
- A June survey of 850 U.S. residents found 50% were “uncomfortable” with government agencies using AI to provide services, an increase compared to 45% in a year-ago survey.
- At the same time, 59% of respondents believed the technology would have a positive impact in helping governments serve residents faster, and the same amount believed it would improve operating cost efficiency. However, more than half felt that AI would have a negative impact on data and privacy protections, according to the survey, conducted by PayIt, a digital government payments platform.
- “As government agencies are moving quickly to deploy AI, technical aspects often overshadow the human elements,” Kelly Davis-Felner, chief marketing officer at PayIt, said in a statement. “But our findings show that managing human factors through transparency and thoughtful communication is essential to achieving the benefits of AI and restoring resident trust.”
Dive Insight:
AI adoption in local governments may be outpacing resident trust, according to PayIt.
A PayIt survey of government agencies in the U.S. and Canada in January found 58% were using AI for resident-facing processes. However, discomfort levels among U.S. residents about AI adoption in government have grown.
Comfort levels differed among age groups, according to PayIt’s survey in June. Comfort levels among Generation Z residents — those born beginning in 1997 — dropped 10% compared with 2024 and 13% among Generation X respondents, who were born from 1965 to 1980. Comfort levels among millennials (1981 to 1996) and baby boomers increased 4% and 2%, respectively.
More than 80% of respondents noted concerns with AI making decisions based on inaccurate results, reducing privacy and making decisions or taking actions based on biased results. A potential loss of public sector jobs and possible environmental harm also topped the list of concerns.
Transparency about AI was a priority for respondents, with more than three-quarters believing state and local governments should be required to disclose when AI is used to provide resident services. “Government leaders have to proactively manage resident trust alongside the technical aspects of AI deployment,” the report states.
