Balancing Innovation and Regulation: The Impact of Government Policies and Perceived Risk on Public Trust in AI Applications

We investigated the impact of a government policy on Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology on people's trust in AI applications in society. Specifically, we sought to examine how trust in AI applications is affected by the government's emphasis on either innovation or regulation, and the risks associated with AI applications. In an online experiment, participants were presented with a government policy that prioritized either the innovation of AI technology for economic growth or the regulation of AI technology for the protection of public interest. Participants then indicated their trust in various AI application cases with varying levels of perceived risk. We found that perceived risk influenced participants' trust in the applications, and that participants strongly supported AI policies prioritizing regulation. There were also possible trends suggesting the interactive effect of policies and perceived risk on participants' trust in AI applications and the effect of policies on the decrease of participants' general trust in AI technology. This work represents a crucial preliminary step in contributing to the ongoing global debate on the AI regulation dilemma.