A New Age of Enlightenment? A New Threat to Humanity? Experts Imagine the Impact of Artificial Intelligence by 2040

As uses of artificial intelligence (AI) systems expand, a two-part research study reveals a broad range of opinions as to how complicated and, at times, disorienting these life-changing digital tools are likely to be and how they might affect people’s lives and societies. Elon University’s Imagining the Digital Future Center conducted the canvassing reported on here – tapping into the insights of a select group of global technology experts and analysts – and a separate U.S. national public opinion survey late in 2023. Both the canvassing and the survey asked respondents about key aspects of life and the potential impact of AI on them. They were asked whether they thought the effect would be more positive or more negative across a number of domains. The experts were also invited to write open-ended answers about the individual and societal gains and losses due to AI impact by 2040. Considered together, these combined qualitative and quantitative studies represent one of the most comprehensive assessments ever recorded of public and expert views about the impact of AI on a wide range of domains of society.