24 April 2025 – London: Hotwire Global, the technology communications and marketing consultancy, today published The Hotwire Frontier Tech Confidence Tracker, a new index which explores results from a study of the general public and business leaders across five European markets conducted by research firm Opinium.
The study sheds light on people’s experience with and positivity towards 15 frontier technologies, defined as new and emerging technologies that have the potential to disrupt and displace existing processes by the OECD. Examples include AI, robotics, VR/AR and quantum computing.
The data tells a story of companies that are at risk of moving too far, too fast when it comes to technology, and without public acceptance or understanding. While business leaders exhibit strong optimism, with an average confidence score of 77 out of a maximum 100 across 15 different frontier technologies, public sentiment (48) trails considerably, showing a 29-point gap.
Most business leaders (79%) think the general public feels more positively than negatively about companies that adopt new technologies, but fewer than half the public (46%) share this positive sentiment. Key to the public’s concerns are job displacement (38%) and wealth inequality (25%). Conversely, business leaders are motivated by the profit incentive, citing improvements in organisational efficiency (58%), product development (44%) and competitive advantage (38%).
When considering societal impact the public is, on average, 13 points less optimistic than business leaders about frontier technologies. The public perceives positive health outcomes (36%) as the most significant opportunity, while business leaders focus on efficiency (50%) and economic growth (41%).
“At a time where the role of business in society is under close scrutiny, there is a significant risk that business becomes disconnected from public sentiment regarding the use of technology to achieve commercial objectives.” said Ute Hildebrandt, CEO of Continental Europe at Hotwire Global. “The risk in alienating stakeholders is heightened media scrutiny, unfavourable policy developments and, ultimately, slower commercial growth.”
Only 36% of the public trust companies that make use of frontier technologies without explaining how and why, versus 67% of business leaders. There is also a significant divergence in views about trust in technology entrepreneurs. Business leaders rank them as the most trusted source of reliable information and advice about frontier technologies, while the public is 29 points less likely to identify them as a trustworthy source. Both groups are united in their confidence in scientists and researchers, however – they are the public’s most trusted (43%) source of reliable information, and the second most trusted (49%) by the business community.
Lord Holmes of Richmond, Member of the UK House of Lords, said: “It is abundantly clear from the research that public trust is essential if we are to optimise the opportunities and empower people against the risks from new technologies. There is a role for Government, for business and for civil society to lead on this imperative public engagement.”
Hotwire’s Ute Hildebrandt concluded: “Business has a duty to proactively explain share their technology strategies and how they foresee their actions impacting the business, society and the workforce. Both the upside and the potential downsides. Transparency helps mitigate fear, builds trust and drives buy-in.”
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