Jason Paris: One NZ chief executive on the new report revealing many Kiwis don't trust AI

The use of AI has become more widespread, with 77 percent of New Zealanders using it over the past year.

Despite this, the new One NZ AI Trust Report found that nearly half don’t trust large companies to use AI ethically.

Furthermore, 62 percent say they would stop using a company if they had concerns about its AI use, with top concerns being the misuse of personal data, job losses, and unfair decision-making.

One NZ CEO, Jason Paris, says there's 'massive' opportunities that come with AI - across all facets of business and life.

"But it needs to be done transparently, and sometimes corporates aren't as transparent as they need to be - and therefore, there's a question on trust."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
To AI. Most of us use AI, and we know
that we're using it. Four and five of us almost
have used it in the past year knowingly, but that
doesn't mean we trust it and you report by One
New Zealand out today found we do not trust large
companies to use it. We're most concerned with our personal
data being misused, with job losses associated with AI, and
with AI making unfair decisions. Jason Parris is the chief

(00:21):
executive of one end z hih Jason, Did I hear that, Jason?
Given that most of us use it, you'd think that
would be okay with it, But why are we so
worried about it?

Speaker 2 (00:30):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (00:31):
I think there's a bit of nervousness about it because
people don't know they're probably using it most days anyway.
So I think the survey sed seventy odd percent of
us know we are, but I think it's more like
one hundred percent of people are using Spotify or maps,
social or social media. But I think it's the lack
of transparency on what is going on behind the scenes

(00:55):
of those AI tools that they don't know about makes
you naturally suspicious.

Speaker 2 (01:00):
How are you using my data? How you are you?
Are you tracking me, what is this going to mean
for jobs and for employment when you make a recommendation
to me? Is it in my best interests? Or is
it in the best interests of the company. So all
pretty interesting themes that I kind of you know, it
makes sense that customers should be concerned about it.

Speaker 1 (01:20):
Is it maybe an underlying lack of trust in big corporates,
Like it's okay for me to use AI because I
know what I'm doing and I can trust myself, But
I don't trust those guys.

Speaker 2 (01:29):
There's probably an undertone there.

Speaker 3 (01:31):
It's just been around, you know, for years, globally and
a New Zealand. But that's I think with the opportunity
is you've got this massive opportunity, a productivity gain for
New Zealand by using AI across different businesses and all
facets of life. But it needs to be done transparently,
and sometimes corporates aren't as transparent as they need to be,

(01:54):
and therefore.

Speaker 2 (01:54):
There's a question on trust.

Speaker 3 (01:56):
I don't think any corporate gets up every morning and goes,
how can I rip a customer off? And I don't
think they're going to go how can I use AI
to do anything bad? We just need to be about
transparent about how we use this amazing technology.

Speaker 1 (02:08):
Yeah, do you think that the job fears are I mean,
you mentioned it yourself. People are really worried that they
will lose their jobs or all these humans will be
displaced by robots. But it seems increasingly that actually it's
more a tool for the humans to use. You still
need the humans at the moment.

Speaker 2 (02:23):
AI is coming to your job, not for your job.
We've deployed AI.

Speaker 3 (02:27):
Across most parts of our business, and I would say
the max I've seen of anyone's job of tasks that
someone would be performing as about thirty percent. So what
it's doing at the moment is just letting us get
to that to do list that's longer than my arm
that you never get to by removing all the noise
and the stuff that you don't like doing because it's
repetitive and boring and brain dumbing.

Speaker 2 (02:51):
So you can work on the call sexy stuff. And
five years though I.

Speaker 3 (02:55):
Think the technology is evolving fast enough to go, actually
some role won't be there because the roles we've got
organizations are to kind of hide process gaps or an
efficiency or old technology that shouldn't be in the business.
And so you should be able to speed it up
using AI. The key is then to make sure that

(03:15):
you train and upscill those people so they can be
deployed in more value creating roles within your organization and
it doesn't come as a surprise. So again, corporates have
a responsibility to talk early and transparently, not just with customers,
but their teams as well.

Speaker 1 (03:31):
Out of ten, how much of a cheerleader do you
think you are.

Speaker 2 (03:36):
Well compared to the warriors?

Speaker 1 (03:37):
Or like that sounded so much more disparaging that I
meant it to sound. I don't mean it in a
disparaging way at all, but I mean you are like
a super enthusiast for this, aren't you.

Speaker 2 (03:50):
Well, I just love New Zealand.

Speaker 3 (03:52):
I think in you as you know, I think it's
the greatest country on the planet to live and work.

Speaker 2 (03:56):
Yes, we have our challenges, but.

Speaker 3 (03:57):
I just think it's a privilege to live here and
see that AI could be the new productivity gain or
create new areas of growth and innovation for.

Speaker 1 (04:10):
For us, especially for New Zealand.

Speaker 3 (04:12):
We go fast because we move fast, and our lack
of scale is a massive advantage.

Speaker 2 (04:17):
Because we can move, we can move fast.

Speaker 3 (04:20):
The digitization of the world means that you know, actually
innovation is decentralized.

Speaker 2 (04:25):
You don't need to go to Silicon Valley. You can
do it from Auckland or Nelson or you know, Timaru Jason,
do you reckon?

Speaker 1 (04:30):
People have realized though? Have the big corporate leaders, Have
the workers of New Zealand realized how much we could
actually use this and harnessed it.

Speaker 3 (04:37):
I think they have, And that is the danger because
we're going to go after it fast, which we should,
but we need to go after it transparently and make
sure that we do it in a way that brings
our customers with us and they trust us for it.

Speaker 1 (04:51):
So I've downloaded the chat GPT. Well, yep, I've already
had it's already It's already solved a lot of my
problems today. Jason, next minute, I'm too.

Speaker 3 (05:02):
You should be not just at work, but also at
home as well. I found it can get you out
of a lot of trouble at home too.

Speaker 1 (05:09):
Oh yeah, do you want to expand on that for us?

Speaker 3 (05:11):
Just you know, what are the excuses for me being
you know, forty five minutes late yet again for my
wife that I haven't already used a number of times.

Speaker 1 (05:20):
Before Jason, thank you very much, look after yourself. Jason Parris,
chief executive of One New Zealand.

Speaker 2 (05:27):
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