Survey shows only 40% are excited about using AI
photograph: 123rf
New Ipsos New Zealand research shows New Zealanders remain wary of AI technology.
Global research firm’s latest Ipsos AI Monitor found that 65% of New Zealanders say they are concerned about products and services that use AI, down slightly from 66% a year ago.
Just 40% said they were excited about using AI, down from 44% a year ago.
Ipsos New Zealand country manager Karin Harcock said the survey was part of a global survey of attitudes towards AI across 32 countries and showed that despite technology changing rapidly, New Zealanders’ views were not changing anytime soon.
Mr Harcock said New Zealand was part of a group of Anglosphere countries, including Australia, Canada, the US, the UK and Ireland, where people were more worried than excited about AI.
“I think it’s fundamentally a trust issue. People are aware that some of the results they’re getting from AI aren’t accurate, and they’re also nervous that organizations are using AI but not being upfront about it,” Harcock said.
When it comes to improving productivity through the use of AI, 57% of those surveyed said that AI tools saved them time in the past year.
However, only 40 percent of people trust that the technology is free from bias, and just 21 percent trust that it is sufficient to avoid double-checking AI output.
Most New Zealanders are also wary of the impact of AI on the job market, with 58% believing it will worsen the national job market over the next five years.
Transparency is also very important to New Zealanders, according to the survey, with 85% of those surveyed saying the use of AI in products and services should be disclosed.
Karen Harcock said New Zealand needed to work on building trust and transparency around the use of AI.
“New Zealanders have a fairly deep understanding of AI. 72 per cent of people believe they understand AI. So perhaps being transparent when using AI is important and I know that many businesses are developing their own AI policies around being candid when using AI so that consumers can use it in an informed way,” Mr Harcock said.
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