New technology involving artificial intelligence (AI) such as ChatGPT and Google Bard are at the center of discussions in Canada. But what do Canadians really think of AI, and how many have used this software?
A new Leger survey, released February 23, explores what Canadians and Americans think of artificial intelligence and how familiar they are with using the technology. A sample of 1,539 Canadians and 1,000 Americans over the age of 18 were randomly selected for the survey. The questionnaire consisted of 25 questions, and results were collected between 10 and 12 February.
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The survey found that the majority of Canadian respondents (65%) have not used AI software, with 19% saying they only used it in a “personal context”. About 9% said they used AI at work or school. By age, about 44% of those who said they used this software were between the ages of 18 and 34.
This text is a translation of an article from CTV News.
According to the data, Alberta had the highest number of people (30%) ever to use AI, followed by 26% of respondents in Ontario and 24% in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Overall, 25% of Canadians say they have ever used AI software, compared to 21% of Americans.
Do you trust AI software?
In general, many Canadians do not trust AI to participate in their personal daily lives. When asked if they trust AI to teach children, about 48% of the participants said “not at all”. Additionally, 43% said they don’t trust AI to get them from one place to another without a driver. About 41% of Canadians said they don’t trust AI to help them find a life partner.
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However, when it comes to performing tasks at home or answering questions about a product online, Canadians are more likely to trust AI. About 46% said they trust technology to turn off the music or adjust the thermostat in their home. About 41% said they trust an AI “enough” to answer questions via chat on a website.
According to the survey, younger Canadians tend to trust AI more than older Canadians. The reason Canadians may not trust AI is because people think that “AI lacks the emotion/empathy needed to make good decisions.”
About 37% agreed that women cannot make good decisions because of their lack of human feelings. Canadians also stated that they believed AI was vulnerable to fraud or hacking.
Are you familiar with AI tools?
AI can take many forms, such as smart home features or facial recognition sensing technology. According to the survey, the majority of Canadians (41%) are “somewhat familiar” with AI tools for the home, such as robot vacuums.
Canadians were the second most familiar with AI tools for face detection, with 38% saying they are somewhat familiar with it. According to the survey, tools such as ChatGPT and Synthesia, which generate content such as text, images and audio, are the most misunderstood by Canadians. About 43% of the respondents said that they were not aware of these AI tools at all.
Younger Canadians, ages 18 to 34, were more familiar with AI tools than older Canadians over 35. Canadians ages 18-34 were most familiar (65%) with AI tools for the home and least familiar (43%) with AI content creation such as ChatGPT. Older Canadians were the least familiar with AI tools. Between Canada and the United States, Americans are more familiar with all the AI tools, although not as much used by Canadians.
“Do you think artificial intelligence is good for society?”
With some understanding of how AI works and for what it is used, about 36% of Canadians felt that this technology is beneficial to society.
Positive opinion rose to 52% for young Canadians and fell for those 55 and over, to 25%, according to the poll. Residents of Manitoba and Saskatchewan were most likely (39%) to think AI is bad for society, compared to the second highest negative response (31%) from British Columbia respondents.
Compared to the United States, Canadians had a better positive attitude towards AI than Americans, with 36% of Canadian respondents saying the technology is beneficial to society, compared to 32% of Americans.
