Three-quarters of Swiss people say they do not trust the GAFAM (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft) to act in the interests of society in the development of artificial intelligence.  

Tech companies have a long way to go to win the trust of the Swiss public, according to a survey of 1,245 residents and 327 opinion leaders from the fields of economics, administration, science and education, culture and politics, published on September 24. 

Opinion leaders are even more distrustful of the bosses of GAFAM than the general public, with 86% stating they do not really have confidence in the likes of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg or Alphabet boss Sundar Pichai. Among the general public, 72% of those surveyed do not really trust them or do not trust them at all. 

It is not just a Big Tech problem. Artificial intelligence itself is perceived as more of a threat than an opportunity. Overall six out of ten respondents believe that artificial intelligence will contribute to growing inequalities in society. 

Scientists, on the other hand, are the most trusted when it comes to developing artificial intelligence. Nearly two-thirds of the population and 85% of opinion leaders trust them to act in the interest of society. While Swiss politicians obtain a favourable opinions from the majority (64%) of opinion leaders, this is not the case with the general public (47%). Politicians in general inspire very little confidence (19%) across all groups.  

The survey was carried out by M.I.S Trend in collaboration with the French-language newspaper Le Temps.