Uncertainty breeds skepticism. Skepticism breeds caution.
A encuesta del Foro Económico Mundial revela que la relación de una sociedad con la inteligencia artificial no depende únicamente de su riqueza, sino de su familiaridad cotidiana con la tecnología. Mientras que ciudadanos de China, Arabia Saudita, India y Perú ven en la IA una promesa ya tangible, sus pares en Francia, Canadá y los Países Bajos la perciben como una fuerza ajena y difícil de comprender. Esta brecha de confianza, documentada en 28 países, sugiere que el escepticismo no nace del conocimiento, sino de la distancia.
- La división es contundente: el 78% de los chinos confía en los beneficios de la IA, mientras que apenas el 31% de los franceses comparte ese optimismo, una brecha que desafía la narrativa de que el mundo desarrollado lidera la adopción tecnológica.
- En los mercados emergentes, la IA ya forma parte de la vida diaria, lo que genera familiaridad y confianza; en Occidente, la tecnología sigue siendo abstracta, y la incertidumbre alimenta el recelo.
- Incluso entre los optimistas globales, el entusiasmo se enfría cuando la pregunta se vuelve personal: solo el 37% cree que la IA protegerá sus libertades y derechos, y apenas el 47% espera que mejore su vida laboral.
- La encuesta advierte que sus propios datos tienen límites: los encuestados en mercados emergentes son los más conectados digitalmente, lo que podría estar amplificando —o distorsionando— la magnitud real de la brecha.
Una encuesta encargada por el Foro Económico Mundial y realizada en 28 países expone una fractura profunda en la percepción global de la inteligencia artificial: los ciudadanos de economías emergentes la abrazan con entusiasmo, mientras que los de naciones occidentales desarrolladas la miran con desconfianza.
China encabeza el optimismo con un 78% de respuestas favorables, seguida de Arabia Saudita con 76%, India con 71% y Perú con 70%. En el extremo opuesto, solo el 31% de los franceses ve más beneficios que perjuicios, cifra que apenas sube al 32% en Canadá y al 33% en los Países Bajos. La misma tendencia aparece cuando se pregunta si la IA mejorará la vida familiar: el 80% de los peruanos dice que sí, frente al 41% de los belgas, el porcentaje más bajo de toda la encuesta.
Henri Wallard, director de operaciones de Ipsos, la firma que realizó el estudio, ofrece una clave interpretativa: en países como China, la IA ya está integrada en la experiencia cotidiana, lo que genera comprensión y confianza. En Occidente, en cambio, la tecnología permanece distante y poco comprendida. La incertidumbre, señala, engendra escepticismo.
Existe, sin embargo, un terreno de consenso global: el 77% de los encuestados cree que la IA mejorará la educación y la formación profesional. Pero ese optimismo se contrae cuando las preguntas tocan lo personal: apenas el 37% confía en que la IA protegerá sus libertades, y solo el 47% espera que transforme positivamente su vida laboral.
La encuesta incluye una advertencia metodológica relevante: en los mercados emergentes, los participantes pertenecen a los segmentos más conectados digitalmente, por lo que no representan a toda la población. La brecha real entre el mundo desarrollado y el emergente podría ser aún mayor —o menor— de lo que estos números sugieren. Lo que el estudio captura, en definitiva, es la voz de quienes ya viven dentro del mundo digital. Y desde ahí, el futuro de la IA luce muy distinto según desde qué ciudad del mundo se observe.
A survey commissioned by the World Economic Forum reveals a striking divide in how people around the world view artificial intelligence—one that splits almost cleanly along the line between wealthy Western nations and emerging economies.
The polling, conducted across 28 countries, found that Chinese respondents are the most bullish on AI's future. Seventy-eight percent believe it will deliver more benefits than drawbacks. Saudi Arabia follows closely at 76 percent, then India at 71 percent and Peru at 70 percent. The optimism is real and widespread in these regions. But travel westward, and the mood darkens considerably. Only 31 percent of French respondents see more upside than downside. Canadians are slightly more hopeful at 32 percent. The Dutch register 33 percent. Americans land at 35 percent. The gap is not subtle—it is a chasm.
This pattern repeats itself when researchers asked whether AI would improve people's own family lives. Eighty percent of Peruvians answered yes. In Belgium, that number collapses to 41 percent, the lowest in the survey. The difference cannot be explained by geography alone or by wealth alone. Something else is at work: familiarity, or the lack of it.
Henri Wallard, the chief operating officer of Ipsos, the firm that conducted the survey, offered an explanation. In China, he noted, AI is already woven into daily experience. Citizens there have grown accustomed to its presence. They understand, or believe they understand, what it can do and why it matters. Western populations, by contrast, report feeling less connected to the technology. They express lower confidence in grasping how it works or what its benefits might be. Uncertainty breeds skepticism. Skepticism breeds caution.
When asked about specific domains, a global consensus emerges. Seventy-seven percent of respondents worldwide believe AI will improve education and professional training in emerging fields. Transportation and entertainment follow as areas where people expect gains. But the optimism narrows sharply when the question turns personal. Only 37 percent think AI will protect their freedoms or rights. Just 47 percent expect it to make their working lives better. These numbers suggest that while people can imagine AI doing good things in the abstract, they struggle to see how it benefits them directly—or they fear it might not.
The survey itself carries an important caveat. In China and other emerging markets, the respondents were drawn from populations most connected to new technology. They are not representative of their entire countries. The people answering these questions in Beijing or Mumbai or Lima are, by definition, more digitally engaged than the average citizen. The true gap between developed and developing nations might be even wider than these numbers suggest, or it might be narrower. What the survey captures is the sentiment of the connected classes—those with access, those paying attention, those already living inside the digital world. For them, the future of AI looks bright. For their counterparts in Paris or Toronto, it looks uncertain.
Citas Notables
Certain measures in China demonstrate that artificial intelligence is already something familiar, and inhabitants have the sense of understanding it and grasping its benefits.— Henri Wallard, chief operating officer of Ipsos
Western populations consider themselves less familiarized with AI and express less confidence in these matters.— Henri Wallard, Ipsos
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why do you think the gap is so large? Is it really just about familiarity?
Familiarity matters, but it's also about narrative. In China, the government has positioned AI as a tool for national progress. People see it working in their phones, their cities, their daily routines. In the West, the conversation has been dominated by fears—job loss, surveillance, bias. The technology is the same, but the story around it is completely different.
So it's not that Western people are more rational or cautious?
Not necessarily. They're responding to a different set of signals. Western media has spent years covering AI's risks. Emerging markets have spent years watching it deliver concrete improvements. Both groups are making sense of what they see.
The survey notes that only 37 percent think AI will protect their rights. That's striking.
It is. People can imagine AI making education better or transportation smoother. But rights and freedoms feel abstract, harder to picture. And there's a real concern underneath—that AI could be used against them, not for them. That fear is probably justified in some cases.
Does the fact that the survey only captured the most connected people in emerging markets change what we should take from this?
It changes everything, actually. We're not seeing how ordinary people in Peru or India feel. We're seeing how the digitally engaged feel. The real story might be even more divided than this suggests—or it might be that once you're connected, optimism follows naturally.
What should Western governments do with this information?
Listen to why people are skeptical. The skepticism isn't irrational. It's based on legitimate concerns about power, control, and who benefits. That's worth taking seriously before pushing AI adoption.