An increasing number of Australians believe AI will create more problems than it solves. A quarter of the more than 3500 people surveyed by Roy Morgan researchers say AI presents a risk of human extinction in the next twenty years. In 2023, one in five people had that belief.
It seems that the nightmare scenarios of Skynet and The Terminator are alive and well in the Australian psyche. However, the data also shows that attitudes are softening with the number of AI sceptics falling slightly since 2023.
Nationally, the share saying AI creates more problems than it solves has fallen from 65% to 61%. There is a clear difference across gender lines. 69% of women said that, overall, AI creates more problems than it solves. In contrast, 61% of men said AI was more problematic.
Younger Australians, aged between 35 and 49, are the last sceptical whiles adults aged over 65 were the most sceptical. South Australians are the most wary of AI.
There’s little doubt AI is here to stay. Apple users will see it integrated into our software more and more. And while there’s widespread concern about AI, many of us use it every day without thinking twice. Siri is a form of AI (depending on your definition) as it every mapping app that calculates a route for you. Even the grammar and spell checkers in your word precessing software are a form of AI.
I suspect the real issue is that there’s no universal definition of AI that fits what everyone thinks AI is. The Roy Morgan research is interesting. But I think the biggest failing in trying to gauge whether AI is properly defined.
Anthony is the founder of Australian Apple News. He is a long-time Apple user and former editor of Australian Macworld. He has contributed to many technology magazines and newspapers as well as appearing regularly on radio and occasionally on TV.