Trends, risks and potential cooperations in the AI development market: expectations of the Hungarian investors and developers in an international context

Abstract

Purpose: The goal of the paper is to identify the comprehensive trends, practical implications and risks of artificial intelligence (AI) technology in the economy and society, exploring the expectations of Hungarian powerful actors in a global arena. Design/methodology/approach: Sociology of expectations framed the theoretical considerations. The explorative research design presents an anonymous qualitative online survey. Respondents represent the Hungarian AI Coalition with a quarter of the members. Findings: The key finding is a controversial result. Although AI is interpreted as a decision-supportive and problem-solving technology for the economy, uncertainties and fears for the society are clearly formulated. Interpreting the results and the originality of the paper, trust building and responsibility sharing in cross-industrial collaborations are fundamental to reduce social uncertainties, override the popular or science fiction narratives and increase the future well-being. Research limitations/implications: The length of textual responses did not allow a deeper analysis. However, for professional reasons, participants were committed to completing the survey. Practical implications: The paper suggests for business and policymaking to identify the AI technology as a tool distinguishing from tech-owners’ responsibilities. Therefore, the implications of the study support a reliable AI and also potential for cross-industrial collaborations. Originality/value: The paper highlights the uncertainties of business investment and policymaking to encourage a comparative research project in the EU for trustworthy AI. Similar exploratory studies with the same focus, sample and outcome are not available yet