Deloitte’s new State of Ethics and Trust in Technology report presents a complex picture of the ethical challenges and opportunities businesses and professionals face in implementing emerging technologies.
Some of the key findings of this year’s report include the following.
- Seventy-four percent of companies have started testing generative AI, yet 56% of professionals don’t know or are unsure if their organization has ethical guidelines for its use.
- For generative AI, data privacy is the top concern for 22% of respondents, which is in contrast to the declining importance of data privacy in emerging technologies as a whole, falling from 19% last year to 7% this year.
- The perception of cognitive technologies’ potential for social good is increasing — and the perception of its potential for harm is rising even faster. This year, 39% of respondents see cognitive technologies—including generative AI—as having significant potential for social good, up from 33% last year. However, 57% view these technologies as most likely to pose serious ethical risks, a noticeable increase from 41% in 2022.
- Nearly three-quarters (73%) of respondents said their organizations are shifting some workers’ tasks due to the adoption of new technologies. Among these organizations, 85% retain individuals whose roles are affected, and more than two-thirds (67%) additionally retrain or upskill those employees for new positions, countering common perceptions that emerging technology will eliminate jobs.
