A new survey by Samsung Electronics finds that nearly nine in 10 Europeans worry about privacy and would be more likely to use AI if they felt their data was secure, with stress over data management especially high in some countries.
Nearly nine out of 10 Europeans express concern about privacy and indicate they would be more willing to adopt artificial intelligence (AI) technologies if they were confident their data was secure, according to research from Samsung Electronics.
The survey found that 62% of Europeans would be more open to using AI if they understood its benefits for their lifestyles. In addition, 75% of respondents reported that managing their personal data is stressful. This stress is highest in Spain (88%), followed by Greece (87%), and both France and Italy (75%).
Privacy concerns cited by respondents include risks such as fraud and the use of metadata to identify individuals. While almost half of those surveyed think about smartphone privacy daily, more than one-third had never considered the security of smart home appliances, such as robot vacuum cleaners or smart fridges.
Security fears are also influencing consumer behavior: 18% of respondents said concerns about security prevent them from sharing data between their smart devices, which the survey suggests may limit the full potential of their technology use.
The findings come as technology companies race to integrate AI into more products. For example, Apple recently announced new AI features for its smartwatch to provide users with enhanced health data. At the same time, debates continue over the use of online data to train AI models, with some companies advocating for broad data use and others raising concerns about copyright and privacy.
Samsung Electronics, which aims to enable connected home devices, noted at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January that privacy management is a growing trend. Dr Seungwon Shin, corporate EVP and head of the security team at Samsung Electronics, commented, “This research highlights a growing trend: while consumers are proactive about managing privacy on their smartphones, they’re often overlooking the broader ecosystem of connected devices. It also reflects a hesitation to fully embrace AI-powered experiences, largely driven by uncertainty around data use.”
The survey included more than 8,000 participants from the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Croatia, and Greece, and was conducted in April.
