The Risks of AI: What the Public Fears vs. What the Experts Say

As artificial intelligence (AI) rapidly becomes part of our daily lives, concerns about its impact are growing, but not everyone sees the same risks, according to a visualcapitalist.com analysis.

The top concerns of AI experts, or non-expert adult users, about AI are presented by the Pew Research Center, based on surveys of 5,410 U.S. adults (surveyed in August 2024) and 1,013 U.S.-based AI experts (surveyed between August and October 2024).

This data, taken from Statista, places AI spreading inaccurate information at the top of the list of fears expressed by artificial intelligence experts (70%), while among the public, 66% of adults have this concern. At the same time, the threat of artificial intelligence usurping the identity of others is the biggest fear of adults in the US (78%), while among experts the proportion is 65%. Similarly, the misuse of personal information by artificial intelligence technologies worries 60% of experts and 71% of adults. One of the most notable differences is the fear of losing one's job: 56% of the public are very worried, while only 25% of experts say the same. Experts are also less concerned about the societal impact of AI, such as people becoming less connected - just 37% expressed this concern, compared to 57% of non-expert adults.

Nearly half of experts (47%) say they are more excited than worried about the future of AI. Among U.S. adults, only 11% say the same. In contrast, 51% of adults say they are more worried than excited - more than triple the share of experts (15%).

As AI continues to evolve, understanding these differences in perception will be essential for shaping effective policies, communications, and innovations, the cited source concludes.

• US - the largest private investment in artificial intelligence

Countries are investing heavily in artificial intelligence to position themselves for a future that could look significantly different from today. Higher investments in AI are usually destined for stronger innovation ecosystems, which can attract top talent and fuel innovative research that stimulates long-term economic growth, according to an analysis by visualcapitalist.com.

Based on the 2025 AI Index report, which shows which countries are betting the most on artificial intelligence, the analysis presents the total private investment in AI, by country, made between 2013 and 2024. The source mentions that the US has raised almost half a trillion dollars for artificial intelligence, a figure higher than the rest of the world combined ($471 billion in the US, compared to $289 billion). China is in second place with $119 billion, and the UK is in third place with $28 billion. This is followed by Canada ($15 billion), Israel ($15 billion), Germany ($13 billion), India ($11 billion), France ($11 billion), South Korea ($9 billion), Singapore ($7 billion), Sweden ($7 billion), and Japan ($6 billion). Australia, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, and Hong Kong each allocated $4 billion, while the Netherlands and Spain each allocated $3 billion. Austria, Brazil, Ireland, and Argentina each invested $2 billion, and Italy, Finland, Belgium, Taiwan, the Cayman Islands, Turkey, Mexico, Denmark, Portugal, Norway, Chile, and Lithuania each invested $1 billion. The rest of the world allocated $6 billion to this segment (in total).

The 2025 AI Index also shows the number of newly created and funded AI companies. The United States is the clear leader in the creation of new AI companies, with 1,073 in 2024 alone, and a total of 6,956 from 2013-2024. It is followed by China (1,605), the United Kingdom (885), Israel (492), Canada (481), France (468), India (434), Germany (394), Japan (388), South Korea (270), Singapore (239), Australia (178), Switzerland (154), Spain (117), and the Netherlands (116).

According to the cited source, since 2013, over 750 billion dollars have been raised worldwide for investments in artificial intelligence, and the areas of interest that attracted the most capital in 2024 are: AI infrastructure, research and governance ($37.3 billion), data management and processing ($16.6 billion), healthcare and healthcare ($10.8 billion), autonomous vehicles ($9.4 billion), fintech ($6.9 billion), manufacturing ($6.6 billion), semiconductors ($5.5 billion), NLP and customer support ($4.2 billion), cybersecurity and data protection ($3.7 billion), robotics ($3.3 billion), drones ($2.6 billion), energy, oil and gas ($2 billion), digital marketing and advertising ($1.6 billion), business operations ($1.5 billion), semantic search ($1.4 billion), supply chains ($1.4 billion), insurtech ($1.4 billion), AR/VR ($1.3 billion), retail ($1.2 billion), educational technology ($1 billion), quantum computing ($1 billion), IoT ($0.8 billion), agritech ($0.8 billion), content creation/translation ($0.8 billion), creative content, music, video ($0.7 billion).