Cultural antecedents of AI trust and adoption: The role of power distance

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Abstract

Although artificial intelligence (AI)-driven decision-making systems can dramatically increase efficiency and productivity, countries vary in their levels of trust in and adoption of AI. However, little research has examined factors that explain cross-country differences in this phenomenon. Across seven studies using primary data from the US, India, China, and Singapore, and secondary data from 24 countries across the world, this mixed-method research identifies an important antecedent of people’s trust in and adoption of AI—power distance, or the acceptance of societal hierarchy. A deep learning model predicting country-level trust in AI using 554 cultural values identified respect for authority (a key component of power distance) as the top predictor. Subsequent studies showed that people with higher power distance beliefs, those from high-power-distance countries, or those who imagined themselves in a high-power-distance culture were more likely to trust and adopt AI across various contexts such as law enforcement, employment, and financial services. This effect arises because people with higher power distance beliefs perceive AI to be fairer than human decision-makers.

The Speaker

Shirley Zhang is a Lecturer in Marketing at Leeds University Business School. She obtained her MA in Psychology and PhD in Marketing from Nanyang Technological University (Singapore). Her research focuses on consumer judgement and decision making as well as consumer health and wellbeing. Her research has appeared in journals such as Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Psychology and Marketing, and Current Opinion in Psychology.