Half of the people in the world are already using generative artificial intelligence, according to a study conducted in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and India. But there are gaps in usage between Generations Z and X: while younger people have largely embraced this new technology, older generations aren’t so convinced.
It sometimes takes a bit of time between the arrival of a new technology and when it becomes part of regular practice. In the case of generative AI tools, Gen Z-ers are far more inclined to use them than older generations.
Some 70% of Gen Z-ers say they already use this technology, while 68% of those who don’t use it are Gen X-ers or baby boomers. These are the findings of the “Generative AI Snapshot Research: The AI Divide” survey of 4,000 people in the abovementioned countries, conducted in August.
More than a third of people who use generative AI do so on a daily basis and plan to use it even more in the future. Among these users, 65% are millennials or Gen Z.
Meanwhile, 52% of Gen Z say they trust AI to help them make decisions. Three-quarters are looking to use AI in a professional context – notably to automate tasks at work – with 38% using it only for fun, and 34% using it to obtain more information on selected topics.
Of the respondents who do not use generative AI (about half of those surveyed), 64% concede that they would use the technology more if it were more secure; 88% confess to not knowing what impact AI could have on their lives; and 32% consider AI not to be useful for them.
Seventy percent of non-users said they would use it more if they knew more about the technology.
“This data shows just how quickly generative AI usage has taken off in less than a year,” noted Clara Shih, CEO of software company Salesforce AI. “In my career, I’ve never seen a technology get adopted this fast.
“Now, for AI to truly transform how people live and work, organisations must develop AI that is rooted in trust, and easily accessible for everyone to do more enjoyable, productive work.”