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Organizations building trustworthy AI are 60% more likely to double ROI of AI projects, underscoring the high cost of ignoring responsible practices
CARY, N.C., Sept. 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- SAS, a global leader in data and AI, today unveiled new research that explores the use, impact and trustworthiness of AI. The IDC Data and AI Impact Report: The Trust Imperative, commissioned by SAS, found that IT and business leaders report having greater trust in generative AI than any other form of AI.
The global research exploring AI use and adoption also found that only 40% are investing to make AI systems trustworthy through governance, explainability and ethical safeguards, even though organizations prioritizing trustworthy AI are 60% more likely to double ROI of AI projects. Paradoxically, among those reporting the least investment in trustworthy AI systems, GenAI (e.g., ChatGPT) was viewed as 200% more trustworthy than traditional AI (e.g., machine learning), despite the latter being the most established, reliable and explainable form of AI.
"Our research shows a contradiction: that forms of AI with humanlike interactivity and social familiarity seem to encourage the greatest trust, regardless of actual reliability or accuracy," said Kathy Lange, Research Director of the AI and Automation Practice at IDC. "As AI providers, professionals and personal users, we must ask: GenAI is trusted, but is it always trustworthy? And are leaders applying the necessary guardrails and AI governance practices to this emerging technology?"
Learn more at today's LinkedIn Live panel moderated by Nicholas Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic and featuring SAS, Deloitte and a guest speaker from IDC.
Access the full research report here: http://sas.com/ai-impact.
The research draws on a global survey of 2,375 respondents conducted across North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Asia Pacific. Participants included a balanced mix of IT professionals and line-of-business leaders, offering perspectives from both technology and business functions.
Emerging AI technologies evoke most trust
Overall, the study found the most trusted AI deployments were emerging technologies, like GenAI and agentic AI, over more established forms of AI. Almost half of respondents (48%) reported "complete trust" in GenAI, while a third said the same for agentic AI (33%). The least trusted form of AI is traditional AI – less than one in five (18%) indicated complete trust.
Even as they reported high trust in GenAI and agentic AI, survey respondents expressed concerns, including data privacy (62%), transparency and explainability (57%), and ethical use (56%).
Meanwhile, quantum AI is picking up confidence quickly, even as the technology to execute most use cases has yet to be fully realized. Almost a third of global decision makers say they are familiar with quantum AI, and 26% report complete trust in the technology, despite real-world applications still in the early stages.
Lagging AI guardrails weaken AI impact ... and ROI
The study showed a rapid rise in AI usage – particularly GenAI, which has quickly eclipsed traditional AI in both visibility and application (81% vs. 66%). This has sparked a new level of risks and ethical concerns.
Across all regions, IDC researchers identified a misalignment in how much organizations trust AI versus how trustworthy the technology truly is. Per the study, while nearly 8 in 10 (78%) organizations claim to fully trust AI, only 40% have invested to make systems demonstrably trustworthy through AI governance, explainability and ethical safeguards.
The research also showed a low priority placed on implementing trustworthy AI measures when operationalizing AI projects. Among respondents' top three organizational priorities, only 2% selected developing an AI governance framework, and less than 10% reported developing a responsible AI policy. However, deprioritizing trustworthy AI measures may be preventing these organizations from fully realizing their AI investments down the road.
Researchers divided survey respondents into trustworthy AI leaders and trustworthy AI followers. Leaders invested the most in practices, technologies and governance frameworks to make their AI systems trustworthy – and appear to be reaping rewards. Those same trustworthy AI leaders were 1.6 times more likely to report double or greater ROI on their AI projects.
Lack of strong data foundations and governance stall AI
As AI systems become more autonomous and deeply integrated into critical processes, data foundations also become more important. The quality, diversity and governance of data directly influence AI outcomes, making smart data strategies essential to realizing benefits (e.g., ROI, productivity gains) and mitigating risks.
The study identified three major hurdles preventing success with AI implementations: weak data infrastructure, poor governance and a lack of AI skills. Nearly half (49%) of organizations cite data foundations that are not centralized or nonoptimized cloud data environments as a major barrier. This top concern was followed by a lack of sufficient data governance processes (44%) and a shortage of skilled specialists within their organization (41%).
Respondents reported the No. 1 issue with managing the data used in AI implementations to be difficulty in accessing relevant data sources (58%). Other leading concerns included data privacy and compliance issues (49%) and data quality (46%).
"For the good of society, businesses and employees – trust in AI is imperative," said Bryan Harris, Chief Technology Officer at SAS. "In order to achieve this, the AI industry must increase the success rate of implementations, humans must critically review AI results, and leadership must empower the workforce with AI."
About SAS
SAS is a global leader in data and AI. With SAS software and industry-specific solutions, organizations transform data into trusted decisions. SAS gives you THE POWER TO KNOW®.
SAS Innovate 2026 – a one-of-a-kind experience for business leaders, technical users, and SAS partners – is coming April 27–30, 2026 in Grapevine, Texas. Visit the SAS Innovate website for more information and to save the date!
SAS and all other SAS Institute Inc. product or service names are registered trademarks or trademarks of SAS Institute Inc. in the USA and other countries. ® indicates USA registration. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective companies. Copyright © 2025 SAS Institute Inc. All rights reserved.
| Editorial Contacts: | |
| Jennifer James | Julia Norton |
| jennifer.james@sas.com | julia.norton@sas.com |
| 919-531-0858 | 919-531-4661 |
| www.sas.com/news | |
Organizations building trustworthy AI are 60% more likely to double ROI of AI projects, underscoring the high cost of ignoring responsible practices
CARY, N.C., Sept. 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- SAS, a global leader in data and AI, today unveiled new research that explores the use, impact and trustworthiness of AI. The IDC Data and AI Impact Report: The Trust Imperative, commissioned by SAS, found that IT and business leaders report having greater trust in generative AI than any other form of AI.
The global research exploring AI use and adoption also found that only 40% are investing to make AI systems trustworthy through governance, explainability and ethical safeguards, even though organizations prioritizing trustworthy AI are 60% more likely to double ROI of AI projects. Paradoxically, among those reporting the least investment in trustworthy AI systems, GenAI (e.g., ChatGPT) was viewed as 200% more trustworthy than traditional AI (e.g., machine learning), despite the latter being the most established, reliable and explainable form of AI.
"Our research shows a contradiction: that forms of AI with humanlike interactivity and social familiarity seem to encourage the greatest trust, regardless of actual reliability or accuracy," said Kathy Lange, Research Director of the AI and Automation Practice at IDC. "As AI providers, professionals and personal users, we must ask: GenAI is trusted, but is it always trustworthy? And are leaders applying the necessary guardrails and AI governance practices to this emerging technology?"
Learn more at today's LinkedIn Live panel moderated by Nicholas Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic and featuring SAS, Deloitte and a guest speaker from IDC.
Access the full research report here: http://sas.com/ai-impact.
The research draws on a global survey of 2,375 respondents conducted across North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Asia Pacific. Participants included a balanced mix of IT professionals and line-of-business leaders, offering perspectives from both technology and business functions.
Emerging AI technologies evoke most trust
Overall, the study found the most trusted AI deployments were emerging technologies, like GenAI and agentic AI, over more established forms of AI. Almost half of respondents (48%) reported "complete trust" in GenAI, while a third said the same for agentic AI (33%). The least trusted form of AI is traditional AI – less than one in five (18%) indicated complete trust.
Even as they reported high trust in GenAI and agentic AI, survey respondents expressed concerns, including data privacy (62%), transparency and explainability (57%), and ethical use (56%).
Meanwhile, quantum AI is picking up confidence quickly, even as the technology to execute most use cases has yet to be fully realized. Almost a third of global decision makers say they are familiar with quantum AI, and 26% report complete trust in the technology, despite real-world applications still in the early stages.
Lagging AI guardrails weaken AI impact ... and ROI
The study showed a rapid rise in AI usage – particularly GenAI, which has quickly eclipsed traditional AI in both visibility and application (81% vs. 66%). This has sparked a new level of risks and ethical concerns.
Across all regions, IDC researchers identified a misalignment in how much organizations trust AI versus how trustworthy the technology truly is. Per the study, while nearly 8 in 10 (78%) organizations claim to fully trust AI, only 40% have invested to make systems demonstrably trustworthy through AI governance, explainability and ethical safeguards.
The research also showed a low priority placed on implementing trustworthy AI measures when operationalizing AI projects. Among respondents' top three organizational priorities, only 2% selected developing an AI governance framework, and less than 10% reported developing a responsible AI policy. However, deprioritizing trustworthy AI measures may be preventing these organizations from fully realizing their AI investments down the road.
Researchers divided survey respondents into trustworthy AI leaders and trustworthy AI followers. Leaders invested the most in practices, technologies and governance frameworks to make their AI systems trustworthy – and appear to be reaping rewards. Those same trustworthy AI leaders were 1.6 times more likely to report double or greater ROI on their AI projects.
Lack of strong data foundations and governance stall AI
As AI systems become more autonomous and deeply integrated into critical processes, data foundations also become more important. The quality, diversity and governance of data directly influence AI outcomes, making smart data strategies essential to realizing benefits (e.g., ROI, productivity gains) and mitigating risks.
The study identified three major hurdles preventing success with AI implementations: weak data infrastructure, poor governance and a lack of AI skills. Nearly half (49%) of organizations cite data foundations that are not centralized or nonoptimized cloud data environments as a major barrier. This top concern was followed by a lack of sufficient data governance processes (44%) and a shortage of skilled specialists within their organization (41%).
Respondents reported the No. 1 issue with managing the data used in AI implementations to be difficulty in accessing relevant data sources (58%). Other leading concerns included data privacy and compliance issues (49%) and data quality (46%).
"For the good of society, businesses and employees – trust in AI is imperative," said Bryan Harris, Chief Technology Officer at SAS. "In order to achieve this, the AI industry must increase the success rate of implementations, humans must critically review AI results, and leadership must empower the workforce with AI."
About SAS
SAS is a global leader in data and AI. With SAS software and industry-specific solutions, organizations transform data into trusted decisions. SAS gives you THE POWER TO KNOW®.
SAS Innovate 2026 – a one-of-a-kind experience for business leaders, technical users, and SAS partners – is coming April 27–30, 2026 in Grapevine, Texas. Visit the SAS Innovate website for more information and to save the date!
SAS and all other SAS Institute Inc. product or service names are registered trademarks or trademarks of SAS Institute Inc. in the USA and other countries. ® indicates USA registration. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective companies. Copyright © 2025 SAS Institute Inc. All rights reserved.
Editorial Contacts:
Jennifer James
Julia Norton
jennifer.james@sas.com
julia.norton@sas.com
919-531-0858
919-531-4661
www.sas.com/news
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
Study: Trust in GenAI surges globally despite gaps in AI safeguards
The New Home Robot Embodies LG Electronics' Zero Labor Home Vision, Introducing Physical AI to Manage the Time-consuming Tasks of Daily Housework
News Summary:
- LG Electronics will showcase LG CLOiD™, an AI-powered home robot at CES 2026, representing its "Zero Labor Home" vision where intelligent machines handle everyday chores through robotics and connected home integration.
- LG CLOiD is a robot that uses AI and vision-based technology to perform household tasks like cooking and laundry, connecting seamlessly with LG's ThinQ ecosystem to automate home life.
- By unveiling LG CLOiD and its new actuator technology, LG takes a major step toward AI-driven homes, combining robotics, smart appliances, and Physical AI to make housework effortless and time-saving.
LAS VEGAS, Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- LG Electronics (LG) today announced LG CLOiD™, an AI-enabled home robot that will be demonstrated publicly for the first time at CES 2026. Designed to perform and coordinate household tasks across connected home appliances, CLOiD is intended to reduce the time and physical effort required for everyday chores. The system represents LG's latest development in AI-based home robotics and smart home platforms, building on the company's Self-Driving AI Home Hub (LG Q9), and the ThinQ ecosystem.
Demonstrating Household Automation in a Real-World Home Setting
At CES 2026, the company will show LG CLOiD operating in diverse home environments. In one scenario, the robot retrieves milk from a refrigerator and places a croissant into an oven to prepare breakfast. After household occupants leave, LG CLOiD initiates laundry cycles and folds and stacks garments after drying. These tasks display LG CLOiD's ability to understand the user's lifestyle and precise appliance control
Hardware Designed for Operation in Living Spaces
LG CLOiD consists of a head unit, torso with two articulated arms and a wheeled base equipped with autonomous navigation. The torso can tilt to adjust its height, enabling the robot to pick up objects from knee level and above.
Each arm has seven degrees of freedom, matching the mobility of a human arm. The shoulder, elbow and wrist allow forward, backward, rotational and lateral motion, while each hand includes five independently actuated fingers for fine manipulation. This configuration allows LG CLOiD to handle a wide range of household objects and operate in kitchens, laundry rooms and living areas.
The wheeled base uses autonomous driving technology derived from LG's experience with robot vacuums and the LG Q9. This form factor was selected for stability, safety and cost-effectiveness, with a low center of gravity that reduces the risk of tipping if a child or pet makes contact.
LG CLOiD's Head as a Mobile AI Home Hub
The head functions as a mobile AI home hub. It is equipped with a chipset – which functions as LG CLOiD's brain – a display, a speaker, cameras, various sensors and voice-based generative AI. Collectively, these elements allow the robot to communicate with humans through spoken language and "facial expressions," learn the living environments and lifestyle patterns of its users and control connected home appliances based on its learnings.
Vision-Based Physical AI: VLM and VLA
At the core of LG CLOiD is the company's Physical AI technology, which combines:
- Vision Language Model (VLM) — converts images and video into structured, language-based understanding
- Vision Language Action (VLA) — translates visual and verbal inputs into physical actions
These models have been trained on tens of thousands of hours of household task data, enabling LG CLOiD to recognize appliances, interpret user intent and execute context-appropriate actions such as opening doors, or transferring objects.
Integration with ThinQ and ThinQ ON
LG CLOiD's capabilities expand significantly through its integration with LG's smart home ecosystem, including the AI Home Platform "ThinQ™" and Hub "ThinQ ON." This seamless connectivity allows LG CLOiD to orchestrate a wider range of services across LG's various appliances.
LG Actuator AXIUM: Robotics Components for Physical AI
Alongside the home robot, LG is introducing LG Actuator AXIUM™, a new brand of robotic actuators for service and robots.
An actuator serves as a robot's joint, integrating a motor that generates rotational force, a drive that controls electrical signals and a reducer that regulates speed and torque. As one of the most critical and cost-intensive components in a robot, actuators are widely regarded as a strategic upstream technology in the emerging era of Physical AI.
LG has accumulated world-class component technology through its market-leading home appliance business. This expertise in component technology is expected to be the foundation for delivering key competitive advantages in actuators, such as lightweight and compact design, high efficiency and high torque. In addition, LG's modular design technology enables customizing, multi-variety production that is necessary for manufacturing advanced robots, which require dozens of types of actuators.
Roadmap Toward AI-Driven Homes
LG plans to continue developing home robots with practical functions and forms for housework. Simultaneously, the company will expand the application of its accumulated robotics technology to home appliances, creating categories such as "Appliance Robots" like robot vacuums, and "Robotized Appliances" like refrigerators with doors that open automatically as a person approaches. The ultimate goal is to create an "AI Home" where housework is entrusted to AI appliances and home robots, allowing people to rest, enjoy themselves and spend their time on more valuable activities.
"The LG CLOiD home robot is designed to naturally engage with and understand the humans it serves, providing an optimized level of household help," said Steve Baek, president of the LG Home Appliance Solution Company. "We will continue our relentless efforts to achieve our Zero Labor Home vision, making housework a thing of the past so that customers can spend more time on the things that really matter."
Visitors to CES 2026 (January 6-9) can experience the tangible benefits of LG CLOiD and the Zero Labor Home through a variety of real-life scenarios at LG's booth (#15004, Las Vegas Convention Center).
About LG Electronics Home Appliance Solution Company
The LG Home Appliance Solution Company (HS) is a global leader in home appliances and AI home solutions. By leveraging industry-leading core technologies, the HS Company is committed to enhancing consumers' quality of life and promoting sustainability. The company develops thoughtfully designed kitchen and living appliance solutions and has recently integrated LG's Robot Business Division to incorporate advanced robot technologies into its home solutions. Together, these products offer enhanced convenience, exceptional performance, efficient operation and sustainable lifestyle solutions. For more news on LG, visit www.LGnewsroom.com.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
LG ELECTRONICS PRESENTS LG CLOiD HOME ROBOT TO DEMONSTRATE "ZERO LABOR HOME" AT CES 2026
LG ELECTRONICS PRESENTS LG CLOiD HOME ROBOT TO DEMONSTRATE "ZERO LABOR HOME" AT CES 2026
LG ELECTRONICS PRESENTS LG CLOiD HOME ROBOT TO DEMONSTRATE "ZERO LABOR HOME" AT CES 2026
