A new survey from Leger, released on February 23, explores what Canadians and Americans think of AI and how familiar they are with using this technology. A sample of 1,539 Canadians and 1,000 Americans over the age of 18 were randomly selected for the survey. The questionnaire consisted of 25 questions and the results were collected between February 10 and 12.
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The poll found that the majority (65%) of Canadian respondents had not used AI software, with 19% saying they had used it only in a “personal context”. About 9% said they used AI for work or school. By age, about 44% of those who said they had used this software were between the ages of 18 and 34.
This text is a translation of an article from CTV News.
According to the data, Alberta had the highest number of people (30%) who had ever used AI, followed by 26% of respondents in Ontario and 24% in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Overall, 25% of Canadians say they have ever used AI software, compared to 21% of Americans.
“Do you trust AI software?”
Overall, many Canadians do not trust AI to be involved in their more personal day-to-day lives. When asked if they would trust AI to teach children, around 48% of respondents said “not at all”. Additionally, 43% said they don’t trust AI to transport them from place to place without a driver. About 41% of Canadians said they wouldn’t trust AI to help them find a life partner.
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However, when it comes to performing tasks at home or answering questions about a product online, Canadians are more likely to trust an AI. About 46% said they trust technology to turn off the music or adjust the thermostat in their home. Around 41% said they would trust an AI “enough” to answer questions via chat on a website.
According to the survey, younger Canadians tended to trust AI more than older Canadians. The reason Canadians may not trust AI could be because people believe “AIs lack the emotion/empathy needed to make good decisions.”
About 37% agreed that a woman cannot make good decisions due to her lack of human emotion. Canadians also mentioned that they thought AI was susceptible to fraud or hacking.
“Are you familiar with AI tools?”
AI can take many forms, such as smart home features or facial recognition sensing technology. The majority of Canadians (41%) are “somewhat familiar” with AI tools for the home, such as robot vacuums, according to the survey.
Canadians were the second most familiar with face detection AI tools, with 38% saying they were somewhat familiar with them. Tools such as ChatGPT and Synthesia, which create content such as text, images and voice, are the most misunderstood by Canadians, according to the survey. Around 43% of respondents said they were not at all familiar with these AI tools.
Younger Canadians, aged 18 to 34, were more familiar with AI tools than older Canadians over 35. Canadians aged 18-34 were most familiar (65%) with AI tools for the home and least familiar (43%) with content creation AI like ChatGPT. Older Canadians were the least likely to be aware of AI tools. Between Canada and the United States, Americans were more familiar with all AI tools, despite not using them as much as Canadians.
“Do you believe AI is good for society?”
With some understanding of how AI works and what it is used for, around 36% of Canadians felt that this technology is good for society.
The positive opinion rose to 52% for younger Canadians and fell for those aged 55 and over, to 25%, according to the survey. Residents of Manitoba and Saskatchewan were the most likely (39%) to think AI is bad for society, compared to the second highest negative response (31%) from respondents in British Columbia.
Compared to the United States, Canadians had a better positive attitude towards AI than Americans, with 36% of Canadian respondents saying the technology is good for society, compared to 32% for Americans.