Trust, attitudes and use of artificial intelligence: A global study 2025

AI has the immense potential to transform lives, boost industries and help tackle some of the most pressing global issues. Fully realizing this potential requires collaboration, a collective commitment to responsible innovation and appropriate regulation with education programs and skills development initiatives to help individuals better harness AI’s power. 

Led by the University of Melbourne in collaboration with KPMG, Trust, attitudes and use of Artificial Intelligence: A global study 2025, surveyed more than 48,000 people across 47 countries to explore the impact AI is having on individuals and organizations. It is one of the most wide-ranging global studies into the public’s trust, use, and attitudes towards AI to date.

The findings reveal that AI adoption is on the rise, but trust remains a critical challenge - reflecting a tension between the benefits and risks:

66% of people use AI regularly, and 83% believe the use of AI will result in a wide range of benefits.

Yet, trust remains a critical challenge: only 46% of people globally are willing to trust AI systems.

There is a public mandate for national and international AI regulation with 70% believing regulation is needed.

Many rely on AI output without evaluating accuracy (66%) and are making mistakes in their work due to AI (56%).

This research, along with our perspective on the findings, offers a data-driven view of where leadership focus, strategic investment and workforce enablement are most urgently needed and how rising public expectations for strong AI regulation and governance need to be addressed. 

For organizations to realize the true potential of AI and achieve a competitive advantage, there are four key actions that leaders should prioritize:

1. Transformational leadership
2. Enhancing trust
3. Boosting AI literacy
4. Strengthening governance

By acting decisively to address these areas, organizations can not only mitigate current risks but also drive sustainable innovation and growth.

Alongside the study, we’ve developed our perspective on the global study’s finding - The age of Intelligence – Empowering human-AI collaboration for a trusted future explores the implications for organizations and highlights how they can leverage these insights to harness the transformative power of AI.

Data was collected in each country using representative research panels. Panel members were invited to complete the survey online, with data collected between November 2024 and mid-January 2025.

The University of Melbourne research team, led by Professor Nicole Gillespie and Dr Steve Lockey, led the design, conduct, data collection, analysis, and reporting of this research.

To cite this research and for full research findings and method details:

Gillespie, N., Lockey, S., Ward, T., Macdade, A., & Hassed, G. (2025). Trust, Attitudes and Use of Artificial Intelligence: A Global Study 2025. The University of Melbourne and KPMG. DOI 10.26188/28822919

This research was supported by the Chair in Trust research partnership between the University of Melbourne and KPMG Australia, with funding from KPMG International, KPMG Australia, and the University of Melbourne.