Oct. 15 (UPI) — Half of adults in the United States are more concerned than excited about the rise of artificial intelligence, the top concern of people surveyed in 25 countries by Pew Research.
The study, which was published on Wednesdaydid not include respondents from the following countries with populations of at least 100 million: China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Russia, Ethiopia, Egypt, Philippines, Congo and Vietnam.
Globally, 34% of respondents expressed concern about AI, with 42% equally in both extremes and 16% more enthusiastic.
To the United States are added those of Italy (50%), followed by Australia (49%), Brazil (48%), Greece (47%) and Canada (45%).
At the other end, South Korea is the least concerned with 16%, followed by India with 19%, Israel with 21%, Nigeria with 24%, Turkey with 26%, Japan with 28% and Germany with 29%.
Other countries were in the 30s, including Britain, Argentina and Spain with 39% and France with 35%.
In no country do more than 3 in 10 adults say they are primarily excited.
In the United States, the survey was conducted among 3,605 adults March 24-30 and 5,023 adults June 9-15 online or by phone with a live interviewer. They are all members of the Center’s American Trends Panel.
For non-US adults, surveys were conducted by telephone, face-to-face or online, depending on the country, among 28,333 people between January 8 and April 26.
On average, 34% of adults worldwide have heard or read a lot about AI, while 47% have heard a little and 14% say they have heard nothing at all.
There is a correlation between national domestic product per capita and AI awareness.
In the relatively wealthy countries of Japan, Germany, France and the United States, about half have heard a lot about AI, but only 14% in India and 12% in Kenya.
Younger adults are more aware and enthusiastic about AI than older respondents.
For example, 46% of Israeli adults under 35 are more excited than concerned about its increased use in daily life, compared to 15% of those 50 and older.
In more than half of the countries surveyed, men are more likely than women to have heard a lot about AI.
People who use the Internet frequently are more likely than others to be primarily excited about the growing use of AI.
Geographically, 53% of adults trust the European Union to regulate AI, while 37% trust the United States and 27% trust China. In the EU, the survey reveals that it is the French, Greeks, Italians and Poles who trust the least.
