How People Perceive AI and Expect in the Future

Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the most disruptive and influential technologies of our time. It has the potential to transform various industries, domains, and aspects of our lives. But how do people perceive and expect AI in 2023? What are the common misconceptions, preferences, and predictions about AI among the public? In this article, I will share some insights from a recent YouGov survey of a diverse group of 1000 American adults that explored these questions.

What do people think AI is?

The survey reveals that the most common perception of AI is text understanding and generating, with 33% of the respondents associating AI with this category. This is not surprising, considering the recent advances and popularity of natural language processing (NLP) technologies, such as chatbots, voice assistants, and text summarizers. NLP is one of the fastest-growing subfields of AI, with an expected annual growth rate of 37.3% from 2023 to 2030.

The second most common perception of AI is robotics, with 24% of the respondents thinking that AI is synonymous with robotics. This is a common misconception, as AI and robotics are not the same thing. AI is the science and engineering of creating intelligent machines and systems, while robotics is the branch of engineering that deals with the design, construction, and operation of robots. AI can be applied to robotics, but not all robots are AI-powered, and not all AI systems are robots. For example, a self-driving car is an AI system, but not a robot, while a toy robot is a robot, but not an AI system.

The third most common perception of AI is not sure, with 18% of the respondents admitting that they do not know what AI is. This indicates a lack of awareness and education about AI among the general public, which can lead to confusion, fear, and distrust of AI technologies. It is important to increase the accessibility and understanding of AI, as it is becoming more prevalent and influential in our society. According to Forbes, AI is expected to contribute $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030.

The remaining categories of perception of AI are voice recognition, image recognition and generation, and other, with 10%, 10%, and 4% of the respondents, respectively. These categories reflect some of the common applications and capabilities of AI, such as speech recognition, facial recognition, and image synthesis. These applications are becoming more widespread and sophisticated, as AI is able to process and generate various types of data, such as text, audio, and images. For instance, ChatGPT, a generative AI tool that can create realistic and engaging text conversations, had 1 million users within the first five days of being available.

What would people like AI to do?

The next question of the survey reveals that the most desired tasks for AI are automating tasks at work and writing work communication, with 75% of the respondents expressing their preference for AI involvement in these tasks. This suggests that people are looking for AI to help them with their productivity and efficiency at work, by taking over some of the mundane and repetitive tasks, such as scheduling, emailing, and reporting. According to a Forbes Advisor survey, 64% of businesses expect AI to increase their overall productivity.

The second most desired task for AI is synthesizing meeting notes, with 65% of the respondents wanting AI to perform this task. This indicates that people are interested in AI to help them with their information management and knowledge extraction, by summarizing and organizing the key points and action items from meetings. This can save time and effort, as well as improve the accuracy and clarity of meeting notes. According to McKinsey, AI can help reduce the time spent on information collection and analysis by 19%.

What do people think AI will be able to do?

The survey also reveals that the most expected capability of AI is translate languages, with 80% of the respondents predicting that AI will be able to do this task by 2023. This is a realistic and achievable expectation, as AI has already made significant progress and breakthroughs in the field of machine translation, such as neural machine translation and zero-shot translation. Machine translation is one of the most popular and useful applications of AI, as it can help people communicate and access information across languages and cultures. According to Statista, the global machine translation market size is expected to reach $1.5 billion by 2024.

The second most expected capability of AI is creating software, with 65% of the respondents forecasting that AI will be able to do this task by 2023. This is a bold and ambitious expectation, as AI is still far from being able to create complex and robust software systems, such as operating systems, databases, and applications. AI can help with some aspects of software development, such as debugging, testing, and optimization, but it cannot replace human programmers and engineers. According to Gartner, AI will augment rather than automate software development by 2030.

The third most expected capability of AI is administrative tasks, with 60% of the respondents anticipating that AI will be able to do this task by 2023. This is a reasonable and attainable expectation, as AI has already demonstrated its ability and potential to perform various administrative tasks, such as data entry, invoicing, and booking. Administrative tasks are often repetitive, tedious, and time-consuming, and AI can help automate and streamline them, saving time and money, and improving accuracy and efficiency. According to Accenture, AI can help increase the profitability of businesses by an average of 38% by 2035.

The least expected capability of AI is writing TV shows, with only 35% of the respondents expecting that AI will be able to do this task by 2023. This is consistent with the previous image, where writing TV shows was also the least desired task for AI. This suggests that people are skeptical and doubtful about AI’s ability and suitability to create original and engaging content for TV shows. As mentioned earlier, AI is already being used to create various forms of creative content, but it is not clear how well it can capture and convey the human emotions, humor, and drama that are essential for TV shows. According to Deloitte, AI can help enhance rather than replace human creativity by 2030.

Conclusion

AI is a powerful and pervasive technology that can have a profound impact on our society, economy, and culture. However, there are still many misconceptions, preferences, and predictions about AI among the general public, which can affect the adoption, acceptance, and trust of AI technologies. In this article, I have shared some insights from a recent survey that explored how people perceive and expect AI in 2023 and compared them with some of the latest AI statistics and trends from the web. I hope this article has helped you gain a better understanding and appreciation of AI and inspired you to learn more and explore its possibilities.

Primary source of AI Technologies poll from YouGov

Secondary sources:

Infographics created by me – article written by Microsoft Copilot

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