A slim majority of Canadians (51%) believe AI will hurt humanity more than help it, but a larger percentage (65%) say social media is already hurting society today.
Those are just some of the findings from Leo Burnett’s latest HumanKind report (see the full report here), based on a survey of more than 4,000 people (completed with research firm Maru/Blue) who were asked about what is keeping them up at night. Leo Burnett launched the study in 2022.
The study suggests that brands can build stronger connections with consumers by presenting ways that can help alleviate the pain points in their daily life.
“[T]he more we know, the more we can equip brand owners with the knowledge they need to help people with their most pressing concerns,” reads the introduction to the latest report. “We know that brands can’t solve everything, but as heard time and again, every little bit helps.”
However, the numbers suggest brands haven’t been doing a great job in this regard: More than three-quarters (77%) of respondents are either unsure or don’t believe that brands understand their concerns.
According to Leo, the theme of the new findings is that many Canadians are less fearful of change, are slightly more optimistic than they were in the past two surveys, and ready to take on challenges ahead of them.
Nearly half (49%) expressing a reduced fear of the unknown, a 14-point drop from a year ago, only 38% say the Earth is past saving, compared with 61% last year, while 53% are feeling more content than a year ago, up 7 points.
That’s the good news. The not-so-good news is that many Canadians still feel concerned and anxious about some of the global challenges dominating the daily headlines: inflation, housing, climate, AI, social media,healthcare and loneliness.
“It’s still a very tough time for Canadians, make no mistake,” said Ben Tarr, president of Leo Burnett Group Canada. “But in contrast to the previous two study editions, we saw a key uptick in people’s readiness and desire for change amid their dissatisfaction.”
The study provides data on each of those issues, along with three suggestions for how brands can play a meaningful role around each issue.
What to do about AI
AI exploded into the mainstream in 2023, with widespread access to tools like ChatGPT and Dall-E. And while people enjoyed using the rapidly progressing technology, many don’t trust brands or businesses to use it responsibly: 65% of young Canadians say corporations are going to use AI to exploit and manipulate people, 59% said they’ll use it to sell people more stuff they don’t need, and 56% said it will put too many people out of work.
With those concerns about AI so prevalent, Leo Burnett said brands should:
•Make transparency a priority—be open about when, how and why they are using AI;
•Show customers how they benefit from AI through better UX, lower prices or faster service (too many Canadians feel only companies are benefiting from AI);
•Prioritize fairness and accuracy: “Canadians want AI to make the right decision and the ethical decisions.
“Despite having very real reservations, Canadians tell us they are still willing to engage with corporate AI applications,” said Tahir Ahmad, Leo Burnett’s chief strategy officer. “In exchange, Canadians have to see a clear personal benefit from engaging with AI such as a better user experience, a lower price, or faster, more accurate service.”
Social media brings division and distraction
As for social media, Leo Burnett concluded that it has “lost its shine.” Strong majorities of respondents feel social media is hurting our real-life relationships and spreading misinformation:
•64% say social media is creating a generation of distracted parents;
•66% say it is making people more divided;
72% say social media has become a wasteland of misinformation; and
•69% believe influence culture has become so rampant, it’s hard to know who to trust.
Here, too, Leo Burnett said brands have a role to play to help “clean up” social media.
Brands need to “degloss” their social content to be more authentic, and treat social as more than an advertising channel, it said. People want brands to “use their power” to clean up the content on social media, and help them step away from social media by promoting detoxes, and limiting promotions to certain times.
The growth of social media was also blamed for contributing to the growing problem of loneliness and disconnection, with 52% of respondents believing that screens and devices are “crutches” to avoid in-person interactions.
“Canadians are actively seeking solutions to combat major global issues like loneliness, housing, AI and more, and they want decisive leadership,” said Tarr. “This is where brands can and should step in.”
