One in 10 Brits believe AI is evil

Most people in Britain believe that artificial intelligence is a force for good according to a new survey, with only one in 10 thinking that it’s evil.

This is one of the findings of research by marketing technology company Rocket Fuel which finds broad public optimism about AI across the UK.

A large majority (92 percent) claim some understanding of what AI is and almost half (48 percent) believe AI is a force for good or mostly good. 42 percent of Brits are excited by AI or think it will solve big world problems. However, 21 percent see AI as a threat or are scared by it.

There is a greater awareness of the uses of AI in everyday life among men than women, with women more likely to perceive AI as a thing of science fiction or limited to laboratories (21 percent), compared to men (13 percent).

When it comes to the workplace 45 percent don't believe AI will impact their job, 10 percent think it will have a positive effect and nine percent believe their job will be under threat. Interestingly those on the lowest incomes are more likely to see AI as changing their job for the better.

Perhaps surprisingly it's younger age groups who are most suspicious of the technology, with 20 percent of 18-24 year olds citing AI as a force for evil, double the percentage of any other age group. Also 18 percent of 18-24 year olds believe that AI will threaten their jobs, again double the number of any other age group.

"Artificial intelligence continues to hit the headlines and there has been a lot of discussion about the negative impact this technology could have on our lives. As a company that uses AI to power our business and drive better, more efficient outcomes for our clients' marketing campaigns, we were interested to understand just what the British public’s perception of AI is," says Dominic Trigg, Rocket Fuel’s SVP and MD Europe and emerging markets. "We were pleasantly surprised by the findings, with the overall sentiment towards AI being very positive amongst a well-informed British public. We believe AI is already making a positive impact in a number of industries and we believe that it is more likely to continue to offer practical improvements, innovation and efficiency to the UK, rather than any danger".

More information about AI and its role in marketing can be found on the Rocket Fuel website.

Image Credit: Mopic / Shutterstock