A leap forward or a societal menace? Tracking changes in American sentiment of AI technologies over time

Room 4 | 10:30 am - 11:00 am | Wednesday, March 27, 2024

While AI dominates headlines and boardroom discussions, the real question remains: What do consumers actually think? As conversations around AI reach a crescendo, it’s time to take a step back from industry speculation and get in tune with the actual sentiments of real people. Our research will answer how Americans’ thoughts on AI evolved in recent months.

Consumer sentiments are not static and for that reason, research shouldn’t be either. Our study is a dynamic narrative of how opinions, uses and impact of AI have metamorphosed. By understanding this evolution, researchers will gain the foresight needed to adapt their strategies – staying ahead of the curve by aligning research approaches with the ever-changing tide of consumer perspectives.

This tracker explores the following topics over a six-month period (October 2023 – March 2024):

• Awareness and familiarity with AI technologies and tools.
• Usage by model, frequency and use cases.
• Work vs. school vs. personal use.
• Barriers to adoption.
• Level, valence of impact (positive vs. negative).
• Overall impact to the world.
• Overall impact to own life.
• Perceived benefits and concerns.
• Perceptions of safety, level of trust and appetite for government regulation.
• Perceptions of industries most impacted.
• Among employed respondents, current and future impact to role.
• Special topics: timely topics that arise such as holiday shopping impact, deep fakes in political campaigning, etc.
• Profiling.
• Demos (gender, age, income, ethnicity, etc.).
• Tech adoption curve.
• Job category/role level.

Key Takeaways:

1. A deep dive into the evolving landscape of consumer opinions to reveal both quantitative and qualitative insights, tracked over time.
2. How researchers will be able to go beyond the hype to gain unprecedented insights into the heartbeat of public perception.
3. The future of AI and foresight into upcoming consumer trends