A recent survey has revealed a significant demand among IT professionals for greater government oversight of artificial intelligence (AI), with 88% calling for stronger regulation. The survey, conducted among nearly 700 IT experts, highlights major concerns around security, privacy, and the broader impact of AI.
Security is the top priority for many respondents, with 72% emphasizing the need for stricter measures to protect critical infrastructure. Privacy concerns were also prevalent, as 64% of IT professionals expressed the need for more robust protections of sensitive data.
Rob Johnson, Vice President and Global Head of Solutions Engineering at SolarWinds, remarked, “It’s understandable that IT leaders are cautious about AI. As the technology advances, it brings challenges typical of any emerging innovation. Security and privacy are key concerns, but organizations must also take proactive steps to ensure compliance and maximize AI’s potential by improving data practices and fostering strong AI ethics.”
The survey’s results come at a critical time, as countries around the world are enacting AI-related legislation. In the European Union, the AI Act is now in effect, while in the UK, new legislation on AI was proposed by the government during the latest King’s Speech. In the United States, California passed an AI safety bill recently, adding to the global momentum for AI regulation.
Beyond security and privacy, IT professionals raised concerns about misinformation generated by AI. Over half (55%) of the respondents believe government action is needed to counter the spread of AI-driven false information. Meanwhile, 50% also support regulation to ensure transparency and ethical standards in AI development.
Challenges Beyond Regulation
The issues surrounding AI adoption go beyond the need for regulatory frameworks. The survey highlighted a significant lack of trust in data quality, which is essential for the successful implementation of AI technologies. Only 38% of IT professionals reported having high confidence in the quality of the data used to train AI systems. This skepticism is validated by the fact that 40% of IT leaders who have encountered problems with AI link these issues to errors caused by poor or biased data.
As a result, data quality was identified as the second most significant obstacle to AI adoption (16%), following security and privacy risks. This emphasizes the critical role that unbiased, high-quality data plays in the development of reliable AI systems.
“Accurate and trustworthy data is the foundation for dependable AI models, which ultimately lead to better decision-making and outcomes,” Johnson noted. “Building trust in data is essential to encouraging wider adoption of AI technologies.”
The survey also pointed to broader concerns regarding data readiness. Less than half (43%) of IT professionals expressed confidence that their companies are equipped to handle the growing data requirements of AI systems. Many feel that their organizations are moving too slowly in implementing AI, with 46% citing ongoing data quality challenges as a major obstacle.
As AI continues to reshape industries and drive innovation, the insights from this survey underscore the urgent need for enhanced regulation, improved data practices, and ethical oversight. IT professionals are sending a clear message: while AI offers enormous potential, its successful adoption depends on addressing crucial concerns around security, privacy, and data quality.