Photography by Nate Edwards/BYU
Generic artificial intelligence is everywhere, but not everyone is ready to accept it. It's not just people who fear that AI might replace their work, or that ChatGpt will become sensible and take over the world.
recently studya group of Professors BYU, led by Jacob Steffen and Taylor Wells, investigated why some people are still reluctant to use Generator AI (Genai) tools. While some people may be worried about AI apocalypse, Steffen and Wells have found that most non-users are interested in issues such as trusting the outcome, missing out on human touch, and being sure that Genai is ethical.
“When people actively choose not to do that “They're also known for their own reasons,” said Steffen, professor of information systems at Marriott Business School. “And it's important to understand why the rapid advances in AI make some people more reluctant to adopt such technologies.”
Steffen, Wells, and co-authors conducted the study using two different studies. First, participants explained the situation they chose not to use Genai and explained why. The researchers then designed a second survey using these responses. Participants evaluated how likely it is to use or avoid Genai in each scenario. Participants also assessed the level of concern over factors such as ethical concern and perceptions of use risk.
The survey revealed common reasons why people chose not to use genai. The top four concerns cited are:
- Output Quality: fear that genai output is inaccurate or unreliable
- Ethical meaning: fear that genai is illegal, illicit or immoral
- risk: fear that genai is not safe and uses private data
- Human connection: fear that interaction with genai is artificial and there is no advantage to interaction
These concerns have led to a variety of situations, including using genai for academic purposes, writing poetry, making art, seeking financial or medical advice, creating compliments and heartfelt messages, and making important life decisions.
In the educational scenario, Wells said that genai is sometimes a crutch and could be a substitute for actual learning.
“Using genai for every task means you get the job done right away, but you didn't learn anything,” Wells said. “What is your worth as a graduate, simply letting all your intellectual work go to the machine?”
Steffen compared Genai to a hammer. It is useful in the right context, but it is unnecessary or even counterproductive in others. When used properly, Steffen said Genai could be the most powerful learning tool humanity has ever seen.
Steffen hopes that his research will help people make smarter choices when it is the right tool for AI to use, and that it will promote understanding between enthusiastic and hesitant non-users.
“It's important to understand your goals behind creating something,” he said. “Should I learn that? Is it about doing something quickly? Are you presenting something as your own piece, or as a gift to someone else? These questions help you decide when to use AI.”
Professors BYU Amanda Hughes, Thomas Meselby and Ryan Schuetzler were co-authors of the study. Benjamin Richardson of the University of Georgia was also co-author.
