Australians are the world's biggest sceptics of artificial intelligence, even as it becomes increasingly part of everyday life.
asserted
it → become → life
But across the Asia-Pacific, many people keep using AI despite their doubts, while nations go their own ways to protect against its risks.
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nations → keep → risks
Isabel Oar finds herself relieved these days to spot grammatical errors in an email.
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herself → find → email
It is a sign that she is reading something from a human, not artificial intelligence (AI).
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she → read → human
"I get quite irritated if I feel like I'm responding to an email that's been written by AI," the Queensland-based teacher says.
"
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teacher → get → AI
I feel that communication should be human.
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communication → feel → ?
So I refuse to use it for writing."
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I → refuse → writing
After starting as an enthusiastic user of OpenAI's ChatGPT for coding and other tasks, Isabel has pulled back more recently, like many other early adopters she knows.
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she → start → adopters
For a start, she has come to trust AI less after seeing it make mistakes in its responses and in coding.
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it → come → coding
"I don't really ask AI questions anymore.
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I → ask → questions
I still Google things," she says.
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she → google → things
However, even the search engine's use of AI summaries makes the technology seem unavoidable.
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technology → make → summaries
"We're having this forced down our throats.
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this → have → throats
It's in everything and we're not consenting to it," she says.
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she → consent → it
The ABC has been talking to Australians over the past year about their hopes, doubts and experiences as AI rapidly enters workplaces, homes and education.
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AI → talk → workplaces
Over that time, views have quickly changed from caution, excitement and concern to something different.
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views → change → something
Isabel's experience is echoed in many of the hundreds of responses to a recent ABC call-out asking people how AI has changed their lives.
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AI → echo → lives
Here is how other respondents put it, which you can see by scrolling through their sentiments below.
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you → put → sentiments
"I don't trust AI; I use it daily as it gives me confidence with writing."
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it → trust → writing
— Craig, Victoria
"AI has a way of being inherently addictive to use.
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AI → have → way
The models are developed by companies who want you to use it more, in a similar way to social media."
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you → develop → media
— Harriet, Queensland
"I am not quite so trusting of the information served up to me and now tend to check with more than one product …
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I → serve → product
I still find it extremely useful and use it daily."
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it → find → it
— Laura, New South Wales
"I trust AI more than I did a year ago, but in a different way.
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I → trust → way
I trust it as an exceptionally capable assistant, not as a substitute for experience, expertise or professional judgement."
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I → trust → experience
I'm not an expert in these fields … so I'm relying on AI to produce accurate results, which often it does not."
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it → rely → results
— Ellie, Victoria
"I trust AI less than I did a year ago … not so much because of the technology but because of the lack of community care from the owners of AI companies, and the lack of lawmaking by governments to protect society."
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I → trust → society
— Darren, Victoria
"We need to tread more carefully ...
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We → need → ?
— Patricia, New South Wales
Australians are among the least trusting and accepting of AI in the world, in stark contrast to people in many neighbouring countries, according to a study by the University of Melbourne and consultancy firm KPMG.
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Australians → accord → Melbourne
Trust and acceptance were much higher in emerging economies like India and China, where AI was more likely to be seen as a pathway to prosperity, says Nicole Gillespie, a scholar on trust in organisations and professor of management at the University of Melbourne.
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Gillespie → emerge → Melbourne
"In emerging economies, AI plays a stronger role in filling real resource gaps.
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AI → emerge → gaps
It can help overcome shortages in skills, information and networks, and bridge barriers of language to open access to global markets," she says.
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she → help → markets
People in emerging economies were still aware of the risks of AI, and the survey found users in India and China reported slightly more experience of its harms, a result reflecting their higher use of the technology.
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users → emerge → technology
Rather than being more worried about AI's risks than others, Australians were simply much less likely to see the upside of AI, Professor Gillespie says.
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Gillespie → see → AI
Another survey suggests that people around the region are using AI even if they do not always trust it.
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they → suggest → it
People in China, Indonesia and Malaysia had the highest rates on this measure, according to an online survey by market research firm Ipsos.
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People → have → Ipsos
In Australia, New Zealand and Japan, more than half of people say the same.
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half → say → same
Data from the same report also showed that China, South Korea and Indonesia were more excited about AI products and services, compared to Australia and New Zealand, who were more nervous.
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who → show → Australia
"What this tells us is that trust is not necessarily a prerequisite for usage," says Hamish Munro, Ipsos chief executive in the Asia-Pacific.
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Munro → tell → Pacific
"Adoption can move ahead of trust, with people willing to engage with the technology while still questioning how much they should rely on it."
'It's not turn-off-able'
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It → move → it
…and 48 more, not listed.
The Aporia
