Majority of Romanians Express Lack of Trust in AI Without Human Oversight, According to Poll
In a recent survey conducted by RoCoach and Novel Research, it has been revealed that the public in Romania is expressing a notable distrust in fully automated decision-making and a strong demand for legal regulation, particularly in sensitive sectors such as education, healthcare, justice, public administration, and finance.
The study, which was carried out among 800 urban residents aged between 18 and 64, all professionally active and internet users, found that approximately 62.4% of Romanians want AI use in these areas to be strictly governed by law. This underscores the importance of human oversight and protection of fundamental rights.
Interestingly, Romanians are not rejecting AI technology itself. Only about 9.5% of respondents believe AI has an exclusively negative impact. Instead, they strongly favor frameworks ensuring that AI decisions are supervised by humans.
This cautious stance reflects a broader societal awareness of digital risks and concerns over how personal data is managed. The survey shows that most Romanians prefer AI to be supervised by humans, particularly in important decisions.
In response to these public concerns, Romania is actively aligning with European Union directives aimed at cybersecurity and digital resilience. Key implementations include the rapid adoption of the EU NIS2 Directive for cybersecurity, the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) alignment, and participation in the European Blockchain Regulatory Sandbox.
These regulatory efforts form a foundation that promotes transparency, accountability, and security in automated decision-making processes. This suggests an environment where Romanians want AI to be effectively regulated to safeguard privacy and fundamental rights, rather than unrestricted or unmonitored deployment.
The survey results indicate a sign of social maturity in Romania concerning digital risks and data privacy. Decisions made by AI should be transparent and individual rights protected. Only 20.2% of Romanians are in favor of fully autonomous professional assessments made by AI. More than two-thirds of respondents with higher education share the same concern. The concerns about data privacy are consistent across age, education, and occupation groups in Romania.
Nearly 40% would accept AI involvement only if accompanied by human analysis. People demand that AI-based systems operate within an ethical, supervised, and regulated framework.
Marian Marcu, Managing Partner at Novel Research, suggests that building trust through transparency, regulation, and dialogue between decision-makers and citizens is crucial for AI to become part of everyday life.
In summary, Romania’s approach exemplifies a balanced acceptance of AI, paired with a strong insistence on legal frameworks that ensure ethical, controlled use of automated systems.
- The survey findings suggest that Romanians prefer AI decision-making in sensitive sectors to be regulated by law, highlighting the importance of human oversight and the protection of fundamental rights.
- In response to public concerns, Romania is actively aligning with European Union directives to promote transparency, accountability, and security in AI applications, with a focus on safeguarding privacy and fundamental rights.
