Outputs

People’s feelings about AI: what the evidence tells us

Artificial intelligence (AI) is impacting everyone’s lives, but discussions surrounding the technology and its regulation overlook public feeling. Society’s most marginalised are often those who are most negatively affected by technological advancements like AI, and also the most overlooked in social research to understand public opinion.

To improve understanding of what we know about people’s feelings about AI, Susan Oman and Sara Cannizzaro from the Public Voice in AI team conducted a review of existing evidence on how people feel about AI.

Evidence is important because it influences governance decisions and discussions around AI development. Who makes evidence and who is included in evidence is important, especially when that evidence is meant to reflect public opinion on an issue as important as AI. These things were considered in this review, expanding on previous research to cover who is doing this research, about whom, and who is overlooked. The findings of the review, along with recommendations for policy-makers, researchers, and practitioners are presented in this report.

Download the paper People’s feelings about AI: what the evidence tells us

This report is one of a number of outputs from the Public Voices in AI project, and it features artwork from the Let’s Talk About AI webtoon created by Kitty McEwan and Susan Oman.

How to cite the report

Susan Oman and Sara Cannizzaro (2025) People’s feelings about AI: what the evidence tells us. The University of Sheffield. Available: https://digitalgood.net/dg-outputs/peoples-feelings-about-ai/