Is it a big threat or is it the next technical thing?

WASHINGTON, DC – As artificial intelligence moves from abstraction to reality, American adults are evenly divided into their meanings for humanity. 49% say that AI is “the latest and latest in long technological advancements that humans learn to use to improve their lives and society,” but equality “is very different from the technological advancements that have come before and threatens to harm humans and society.”

Despite this split evaluation, a clear majority (59%) say that AI reduces the need for humans to perform important or creative tasks, while only 38% believe that they handle mostly common tasks and release humans to do higher impact tasks.

And perhaps reflecting the possibility of AI to reduce human contributions, 64% plan to resist using it in their lives as long as possible (35%), rather than accepting it immediately.

### Embeddable ###

The majority hopes that AI will eat up the phones and internet to change society

Americans may not be convinced that AI poses a threat to humanity, but the majority predict that it will have a greater impact on society than some of the major technological advances of the past century.

Two-thirds (66%) say AI outweighs social impact robotics, with over half saying it exceeding the impact of the internet (56%), computers (57%) and smartphones (59%). Over half (52%) believe that it will have a greater impact than phone calls made when AI was introduced.

### Embeddable ###

Does friendliness create comfort?

Americans' perceptions of the impact AI has on society do not differ significantly depending on gender, age, or other characteristics. Most demographic groups are closely divided as to whether AI is the next technical and new threat. However, attitudes vary greatly depending on people's exposure to AI.

71% of daily users of AI Generating AI (programs like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot that can create new content such as text, images, and music) say AI is just a technological advance. In contrast, only 35% of people who do not use the generator AI agree.

This 36% point gap contrasts with the smaller differences between users and non-users of other AI applications, with confidence that they can take advantage of AI forever. With the view that AI benefits humans, there is a 27-point difference between users and non-users of virtual assistants (such as Amazon Alexa and Apple Siri). There is also a difference of about 20 points in this approval of AI between users and non-users of personalized content (such as apps that create movies and product recommendations) and smart devices (such as robot vacuums and fitness trackers).

### Embeddable ###

Personalized content is now a routine. Generation AI is still innovative

After its release in November 2022, ChatGpt is reportedly becoming the fastest growing app to date. However, the adoption of AI generated among US adults in general is still sparse compared to other types of AI. Currently, less than a third of US adults report using daily or weekly generation AI tools. About 41% use less frequently, but 41% don't use at all.

At the same time, more than four in 10 adults say they use voice recognition/virtual assistants (45%) or smart devices (41%) at least every week. Almost two-thirds (65%) report using personalized content frequently.

### Embeddable ###

Demographic gaps are the biggest for adoption of generative AI

The widespread adoption of personalized content is reflected in the relative uniformity of its use across demographic groups. The same goes for virtual assistants and smart devices, which may likely reflect the cost, but smart devices use is greater among adults employed in college-educated adults than in middle- and low-income groups. Smart devices are also the technology (44%) that women use more frequently than men (37%).

On the other hand, there are considerable differences in the use of generative AIs across age, education, employment and gender.

• The percentage of daily or weekly generating AI used was highest between 18-29 years old (43%) and lowest among older adults (19%).
• There is an 8-point difference between gender and more men (36%) use it than women (28%). However, the gender gap is greater among adults over 50 years of age than 18-49 people.
• Employed adults (37%) are almost twice as many non-working adults (20%) who regularly use the generator AI.

### Embeddable ###

Conclusion

Americans are divided into whether AI is a routine step in the evolution of technology or a unique threat, but most people are reluctant to adopt it personally, reducing the need for human creativity. For now, the positive views of AI are closely related to people's experiences, not to individual demographics. The meaning is that acceptance may continue as usage expands.

Follow @Gallup on X and Instagram to stay up to date with the latest insights.

Learn more about how Gallup Panel works.

### Embeddable ###