• by Chuck Martin , Staff Writer, June 26, 2018

Based on where in the world they are located, digital assistants may have a trust issue.

Consumers were asked whether they would trust a digital assistant such as Amazon Alexa or Google Home to provide general information such as weather, news, research and product information and results show that the trust level varies widely by country.

For example, 63% of consumers in India definitely would trust the devices while only 9% in Japan would.

The study comprised a survey of 5,000 consumers in France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, the U.K. and the U.S. conducted for Limelight Networks.

The good news is that only 12% do not trust the digital assistants, with a large portion falling into the category of “I might trust it” -- hardly a ringing endorsement.

Overall, slightly more than a third (35%) of consumers put their faith in digital assistants. Here is the breakdown by country of those who definitely trust a digital assistant:

• 63% -- India
• 53% -- U.S.
• 45% -- U.K.
• 40% -- Malaysia
• 35% -- Singapore
• 32% -- Germany
• 29% -- France
• 26% -- Italy
• 19% -- South Korea
• 9% --  Japan

By age group, the most trusting are those 26 to 35 years old (41%), followed by those ages 18 to 25 (41%), 36 to 45 (39%), 46 to 60 (31) and those over 60 (25%).

Connected smart speakers continually improve and are learning as they go. Over time, they will have to learn enough to earn the trust of their owners.