Public Awareness, Opinions And Expectations About Artificial Intelligence: July To October 2023

30th October 2023

An analysis exploring adults' awareness of artificial intelligence (AI) use and attitudes towards the adoption of AI, including benefits and risks.

Only one in six (17%) adults said they could often or always tell when they are using artificial intelligence (AI), with men (21%), adults aged 16 to 29 years (31%), and adults with a degree or equivalent qualification (22%) among those more likely to report this; awareness decreases with age, with more than half (55%) of adults aged 70 years and over reporting they can hardly ever or never recognise when they are using AI.

Twice as many adults thought AI brings greater risks than benefits (28%) than those who thought it has more benefits than risks (14%), while 43% thought there are equal benefits and risks to AI adoption.

Around one-third (32%) of adults agreed or strongly agreed that AI will benefit them, with men (38%), adults aged 16 to 29 years (46%), and adults with a degree or equivalent qualification (49%) among those more likely to report this.

When asked about the positive impacts AI could have on their life, adults reported it would improve their access to healthcare (31%) and their shopping experiences (27%), and 25% expected it to increase their access to learning or education.

Over one in three (36%) adults said they did not think AI could have a positive impact on their lives. Reasons given included having limited knowledge about AI or feeling it was irrelevant to their lives, believing AI is untrustworthy and risky, and distrusting the ability and intentions of companies developing or using AI.

Reported negative impacts of AI included the use of personal data without consent (72%), making it difficult to tell whether news or information are fake (68%) and increased chances of experiencing cyber crime (60%).

Over a quarter (28%) of adults in employment surveyed thought AI could make their job easier, including those working in professional (41%) and managerial (34%) occupations, while 32% reported AI could put their job at risk, including those working in administrative and secretarial (43%) and sales and customer service (41%) occupations.

The rapid development and increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the way we live.

In September 2021, the government developed a National AI strategy (PDF, 3.5MB) setting out its ten-year plan. This was followed by a consultation process and a white paper published in March 2023, which detailed how the UK intends to support innovation while providing a framework to ensure risks are identified and addressed. The UK government is hosting the first global AI safety summit on 1 and 2 November 2023.

To fill important evidence gaps, inform the public, and support AI policy, this article explores adults' perceived awareness of AI use, their views on the benefits and risks of AI, and their expectations about the impact this technology will have on their lives. Our analysis reveals significant differences across population groups and sheds light on perceived and potential inequalities.

In June 2023, our Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN) showed that around one in five (19%) adults said they could explain what AI is in detail and over half (53%) could provide a partial explanation.

To gain a deeper insight into adults' awareness of AI, we evaluated their perceived ability to recognise when they engage with this technology. We found that around:

one in six (17%) adults reported that they can often or always recognise when they are using AI

one in two (50%) adults reported that they can some of the time or occasionally recognise when they are using AI

one in three (33%) adults reported that they can hardly ever or never recognise when they are using AI

Given awareness of AI use was self-reported, it is possible that adults' perceived ability to recognise when they are engaging with AI differs from their actual ability to do so.

Groups that were significantly more likely than other groups to report they can often or always recognise when they are using AI included:

men (21%)

adults aged 16 to 29 years (31%)

adults in "Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups" (36%)

non-disabled adults (18%)

adults with a degree or equivalent qualification (22%)

adults working in professional occupations (24%)

More than half of adults aged 70 years and over (55%) and 39% of those without a degree reported they can hardly ever or never recognise when they are using AI.

Read the full report HRE