A new study on Norwegians' use and attitudes towards generative artificial intelligence shows that we are divided and uncertain about the benefits and consequences of this new technology. But there is one thing most people agree on: AI poses a privacy challenge.
The study was conducted by the YouGov analytical institute on behalf of the Norwegian Office Data Protection and the Norwegian Technology Council. In the period from 22 to 25 January 2024, a total of 1009 online interviews were conducted with a representative sample population of Norway aged 18 and over.
Key conclusions:
- More than half of respondents (58%) have never tried a tool using generative AI*
- Most people in the 18- to 29-year-old age group (79 percent) have tried one or more tools
- In particular, ChatGPT (29%) and Snapchat's My AI (16%) are used.
- These tools are used primarily for private purposes (76%), and to a lesser extent at work (26%) and in school/education (20%).
- Respondents are divided and uncertain about the usefulness and impact of artificial intelligence tools on society
- A majority (59 percent) are concerned about how artificial intelligence uses our personal data
- Users of AI tools are more optimistic about the tools than those who have not used them
*Generative artificial intelligence is presented in the form of 8 most famous tools: ChatGPT, Copilot, My AI (Snapchat), Bard (Google), Midjourney, Dall-E, GPT-4, GitHub Pilot, Other AI tools.
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Shared and insecure
What is our attitude towards artificial intelligence? Do we see potential or threat? We asked respondents to consider various statements about the overall impact of artificial intelligence on society, its usefulness in... private life, at work and at school and to help manage mental ill health.
With few exceptions, the responses show that we are divided and uncertain about this technology. We are not sure whether it can be useful for ourselves, but also how the entry of artificial intelligence will affect society as a whole.
About 1 in 4 Norwegians fully or partially agree agree that artificial intelligence is good news for Norway, while approximately the same number disagree with this statement, in whole or in part. Almost half answer that they neither agree, nor disagree, or that they do not know.
When asked about the usefulness of artificial intelligence at work, school and leisure, the answers are more or less the same. Only 28 percent fully or partially agree that artificial intelligence can help simplify professional tasks or assist them in their creative processes. A slightly larger percentage believes that it is worth pairing everyday tasks with artificial intelligence (33%). In the school context, only 27 percent sees potential in personalized AI assistants, and 31 percent totally or partially disagree that students should receive such an offer.
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Concern about the use of personal data by artificial intelligence
The development and training of generative artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT uses vast amounts of data that has been "scraped" from the Internet, including personal data. Some services also use content posted by users, i.e. our interaction with them (so-called "hints"), for further training and development of the services. Losing track of what these are for information is used, poses a privacy challenge.
The fact that as many as 59 percent fully or partially agree that they are concerned about how personal data is used by artificial intelligence indicates that this is a relatively well-known challenge. At the same time, 31 percent is not sure or does not know whether he agrees with this statement or not.
When we look at how those who have used one or more AI tools respond to this claim, and compare them to those who have not used such a tool, we find no significant differences. This is the only claim on which both groups agree.
AI Psychologist – no thanks!
We see that Norwegians are generally skeptical about the use of artificial intelligence in services to solve everyday tasks at work, school and leisure. If we look at more intimate uses, the skepticism grows even more.
More than half of Norwegians (54%) do not like the idea of an AI psychologist, and 16% do not like it. is no stranger to him. They constitute a much larger percentage of the latter young people aged 18 to 29 (24%) and 30 to 39 (24%), while only 8% those aged 60 and over would consider the same.
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Artificial intelligence as a conversation partner for lonely people
However, a larger percentage agree that AI can function as a conversation partner for lonely people. 28 percent believe this could be a useful application for artificial intelligence, and young people also stand out here. As much as 45 percent people aged 18-29 believe that artificial intelligence is suitable for such a purpose, with people over 60 disagreeing the most.
57 percent fully or partially agree that the human aspect of artificial intelligence is terrifying. A much larger percentage of women than men believe in this, and a elder people over 60 years of age than younger people.
AI users are more positive
Those who claim to have tried one or more of the tools are, except one statements, much more positive attitude to artificial intelligence than those who didn't try.
16% of respondents said that artificial intelligence is good news for Norway. people who had not tried AI tools responded that they fully or partially agreed, while 46 percent those who use AI tools responded the same.
The biggest difference is how groups evaluate the usefulness of AI tools. While 17 percent people who have no experience with tools fully or partially agree that sparring with artificial intelligence can be useful in everyday tasks, 56 percent users say the same. Similarly, 14 percent of non-users believe the tools can be useful in a work context, compared to 48 percent of users.
The ability of artificial intelligence to pose as human beings
The difference is smaller when it comes to the ability of artificial intelligence to pose as human beings. 61 percent of non-users fully or partially agree that this feature is creepy, compared to 53 percent of users.
A significantly higher proportion of users than non-users chose the "Neither agree nor disagree" option for several statements, while non-users were much more likely to choose the more explicit "I don't know" option. This may indicate that even those who have experience with AI tools find that they lack overview and that it is difficult to take a position on hypothetical scenarios for which services have not yet been developed.
It can be seen that those who have experience with AI tools are generally much more positive than those who do not have the same experience. Except for one point: They are equally concerned about how AI uses their personal data.
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Source: Datatilsynet, Photo: pixabay
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