An online survey examining attitudes toward AI showed that most people tend to have an optimistic view of AI and tend to disagree with extreme negative attitudes. Additionally, people with higher levels of social health, higher levels of agreeableness, lower levels of neuroticism and loneliness, and those who were more technologically savvy tended to have more favorable views about the large-scale impact of AI. The paper was published in. Technical Journal in Behavioral Sciences.
As the rapid development of artificial intelligence systems (AI) is measurably changing the way people work and live, widespread debate continues about how AI technology will have a large-scale impact on human culture and society. Researchers and policymakers are debating whether AI primarily brings significant benefits or creates significant risks.
One of the concepts in these discussions is P(Doom). This is the expectation that advanced AI could cause the extinction of humanity or the irreversible collapse of civilization. Experts assign very different probabilities to P(Doom), ranging from very low to relatively high. Some researchers argue that AI systems could become more intelligent than humans, with potentially devastating consequences if they are not properly aligned with human goals. Others believe that such a scenario is unlikely and that AI will continue to be under human control through regulation, engineering safeguards, and systematic oversight.
AI optimism is the view that artificial intelligence will greatly benefit humanity by accelerating scientific discoveries, improving healthcare, increasing productivity, and solving global problems. Optimists point to historical patterns in which new technologies ultimately increase human prosperity despite temporary disruptions. At the same time, even those with an optimistic view typically recognize that AI can pose challenges such as job displacement, misinformation, and the concentration of power.
Study authors Rose E. Gingrich and Michael S.A. Graziano wanted to investigate the prevalence of P(Doom) concerns in the United States and who is holding them. They wanted to investigate how people perceive the impact of AI on themselves and society, and how individual psychological characteristics relate to these views.
Study participants were 402 US residents recruited through Prolific in June 2023. 49% of participants were female. Their ages ranged from 18 to 65 years, with most between 25 and 44 years. The study authors paid each person $12 for their participation.
Study participants were randomly divided into two groups. One group was assigned to interact with one of three popular chatbots (ChatGPT, Replika, or Anima) for at least 10 minutes immediately before answering survey questions. The other group of participants proceeded directly to the survey.
The research study included assessments of AI emotions and p(doom) views (measures created by the study authors), interest in and experience with new technologies (Affinity for Technology Interactions Scale), personality (10-item personality inventory), sociability (Adult Self-Perception Profile), social competence (Perceived Social Competence Scale), self-esteem (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale), and loneliness. (UCLA Loneliness Scale). The survey also asked if participants had a mental health diagnosis, demographic data, and their interest in chatbots and human interaction (“Currently interested in talking to chatbots” and “Currently interested in talking to other people”).
The results showed that participants’ responses tended to be divided in opinion. However, the majority of study participants disagreed with p(doom) statements such as “I’m worried that AI is very bad” and “I’m worried that AI will take over the world.”
Participants also tended to disagree with the statement that “AI agents such as chatbots, digital voice assistants, and robots would make good social companions,” although their ratings were much more evenly distributed. Participants were also divided on whether AI should have moral rights. Study participants generally tended to show somewhat higher agreement with statements that described a positive view of AI.
Further analysis revealed that individuals with higher reported social health (i.e., social competence, sociability, and self-esteem) and higher agreeableness tended to be more positive toward AI. The same was true for tech-savvy people. On the other hand, individuals with more pronounced neuroticism and loneliness tended to have less favorable views of the large-scale impact of AI.
“Our study suggests that extreme, negative p(doom) attitudes are not the norm in a representative online sample in the United States at this time. The general public is generally positive about AI in terms of its impact on their personal lives and society,” the study authors concluded.
This study sheds light on the current attitudes that people in the United States have toward AI. However, as the field of AI continues to rapidly evolve, these views may change to reflect new experiences.
This paper, “P(doom) vs AI Optimism: Attitudes Toward Artificial Intelligence and the Factors That Shape Them,” was authored by Rose E. Guingrich and Michael SA Graziano.
