With the rapid spread of artificial intelligence, persons are asking themselves: Who is more than likely to make use of AI of their day by day lives? Many assume that it’s the tech enthusiasts – those that understand how AI works – who would most wish to adopt it.
Surprisingly, our recent research (published in Marketing magazine) finds the other. People with less knowledge about AI are literally more open to using the technology. We call this difference in propensity to adopt the “lower literacy-higher receptivity” relationship.
This link appears in several groups, settings and even countries. For example, our evaluation of Data from market research company Ipsos A study spanning 27 countries shows that folks in countries with lower average AI literacy are more receptive to AI adoption than people in countries with higher AI literacy.
Similarly, our survey of U.S. undergraduate students found that those with less understanding of AI were more more likely to report using it for tasks similar to academic assignments.
The reason for this connection lies in how AI now performs tasks that we once thought only humans could do. When AI creates a murals, writes a heartfelt response, or plays a musical instrument, it might feel almost magical – prefer it is entering human territory.
Of course AI doesn't really own it human qualities. A chatbot may produce an empathetic response, but it surely doesn't feel empathy. People with more technical knowledge of AI understand this.
They understand how algorithms (sets of mathematical rules that computers use to perform specific tasks), training data (used to enhance how an AI system works), and computational models work. This makes the technology less mysterious.
On the opposite hand, those with less understanding might find AI magical and impressive. We suspect this sense of magic makes them more open to using AI tools.
Our studies show that this association between lower literacy and better receptivity to the usage of AI tools is strongest in areas that folks associate with human characteristics, similar to providing emotional support or advice. When it involves tasks that don't evoke the identical sense of human qualities – similar to analyzing test results – the pattern is reversed. People with higher levels of AI knowledge are more receptive to those applications because they concentrate on the efficiency of the AI and never on any “magic” properties.
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It's not about skills, fear or ethics
Interestingly, this connection between lower literacy and better receptivity persists, despite the fact that individuals with lower AI competence usually tend to view AI as less capable, less ethical, and even a bit of scary. Their openness to AI appears to be based on their amazement at what it might achieve despite these perceived disadvantages.
This finding offers recent insights into why people react so otherwise to recent technologies. Some studies suggest so Consumers prefer recent technologiesa phenomenon called “appreciation for algorithms,” while others display skepticism or “algorithm aversion.” Our research suggests that perception of the “magic” of AI is a key think about these reactions.
These findings pose a challenge for policymakers and educators. Efforts to advertise AI literacy could inadvertently dampen people's enthusiasm for using AI by making it seem less magical. This creates a fragile balance between helping people understand AI and keeping them open to adopting it.
To maximize the potential of AI, corporations, educators and policymakers must find this balance. By understanding how perceptions of “magic” influence people’s openness to AI, we will help develop and deliver recent AI-based services that take people’s views of AI under consideration and help them realize the advantages and Understand the risks of AI.
And ideally, this may occur without losing the awe that pulls many individuals to the brand new technology.
