Research Summary: Conditional Values: The Contingent Foundations of Attitudes toward Artificial Intelligence

An analysis of provisional World Values Survey Wave 8 data across 40,960 respondents in 24 countries indicates that favorable societal evaluation of artificial intelligence is universally anchored by general optimism about science and technology. Beyond this baseline predictor, national-level perceptions diverge significantly based on local factors such as expert authority, educational attainment, information access, demographic position, and specific dimensions of trust.

Why it matters

Public acceptance of artificial intelligence is fundamentally governed by underlying societal optimism toward science and institutional authority rather than attitudes toward AI in isolation. Consequently, cross-border technology initiatives cannot rely on uniform engagement models, as societal receptivity varies significantly across differing national value landscapes. Securing stakeholder alignment requires understanding and engaging with foundational trust in scientific systems rather than merely highlighting technical utility.

Key insights

• General optimism about science and technology serves as the single strongest pooled predictor of positive AI evaluations across all 24 surveyed countries.
• Perceptions of AI are contingent on nationally specific foundations, notably reliance on expert authority, information access, education levels, demographic variables, and distinct forms of trust.
• The study leverages provisional World Values Survey Wave 8 data from 40,960 respondents evaluated via pooled and national prediction models.
• Eleven value profiles formed independently of specific AI attitudes were identified to evaluate broader public sentiment.

Source

arXiv — Computers and Society — https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.37197