American Attitudes Toward The Proliferation Of Artificial Intelligence | 2022 Study

WobelPost
Coinmonks
6 min readMay 14, 2022

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Artificial Intelligence is one of the emerging technologies which tries to simulate human reasoning in AI systems. John McCarthy invented the term Artificial Intelligence in the year 1950. He said, ‘Every aspect of learning or any other feature of intelligence can in principle be so precisely described that a machine can be made to simulate it. An attempt will be made to find how to make machines use language, form abstractions, and concepts, solve kinds of problems now reserved for humans, and improve themselves.

1. USA IS LEADING IN AI BUT CHINA IS SHRINKING THE GAP

According to a new research from the Information Technologies and Innovation Foundation, the United States is maintaining its early lead over China and the European Union in the development and implementation of artificial intelligence technology (ITIF). While the US still has a significant advantage, China is ready to shrink the gap, while the EU is mainly failing to stay up, according to the analysis.

Who is Winning the AI Race: China, the EU, or the United States?” the report asks in January 2021. Since 2019, when the ITIF’s Center for Data Innovation released a report analyzing the AI capabilities of the three regions using 30 metrics across six categories, including talent, research, development, hardware, adoption, and data, ITIF researchers Daniel Castro and Michael McLaughlin compared how the three regions have fared.

2. HOW IS AI BENEFICIAL TODAY

AI is a notion that most people are unfamiliar with. When 1,500 senior business leaders in the United States were asked about AI in 2017, only 17% stated they were familiar with the concept. Several of them had no idea what it was or how it would affect their businesses. Many saw the enormous potential for changing business processes, but they were unsure how AI might be implemented within their own firms.

AI is a technology that is revolutionizing every aspect of life, despite its broad lack of familiarity. It’s a versatile tool that allows people to rethink how they integrate data, evaluate it, and use the insights to make better decisions. Our goal with this thorough review is to explain AI to policymakers, opinion leaders, and interested observers, as well as to show how AI is already changing the world and raising major challenges for society, the economy, and governance.

3. HOW THE U.S. REGULATES AI

In 2021, general artificial intelligence laws or resolutions were introduced in at least 17 states, with Alabama, Colorado, Illinois, and Mississippi becoming the first to pass them.

The legislation passed in 2021 has a dual purpose in addressing growing artificial intelligence issues. It’s in charge of figuring out how the U.S. should manage the technology as well as research and develop artificial intelligence. The National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource Task Force (NAIRRTF) was established to monitor artificial intelligence’s effects on Americans. While AI has its advantages, it can also have drawbacks, such as the creepy facial recognition technology that follows individuals around everywhere. The NAIRRTF will handle issues of “privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties” as they relate to artificial intelligence, according to the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Office.

4. HOW WILL AI AFFECT FUTURE OF AMERICAN PEOPLE

Artificial intelligence (AI) is making inroads into some of society’s most vital industries, ranging from health care and legal services to agriculture and transportation. Americans are concerned in some respects and excited in others as they witness its proliferation.

In general, a larger proportion of Americans say they are “more concerned than excited” about the rising usage of AI in everyday life than say the contrary. Nearly half of all respondents in the United States (45%) say they are both concerned and thrilled about the situation. When asked what concerns them the most about AI, those who are more concerned than excited mention potential job losses, privacy problems, and the possibility that AI’s rise would transcend human talents — while others think it will lead to a loss of human connection, be misused, or be overly reliant on it.

Others, on the other hand, are “more excited than concerned,” citing the social benefits they want to see, the time savings and efficiency AI might bring to daily life, and the ways AI systems could be helpful and safer at work. People are divided on whether three specific AI applications are beneficial or harmful to society as a whole.

This chapter discusses the survey’s overall findings on AI programs. It also highlights key findings from in-depth studies of public perceptions of three AI-related applications, which are detailed in the next three chapters. Some key discoveries include:

Police use of facial recognition:
We selected to investigate police use of facial recognition since police reform has been a hot issue of discussion, particularly in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd in May 2020 and the accompanying protests. According to the poll, a majority of people (46%) believe that using this technology by police is a good idea for society, while 27% believe it is a terrible idea and 27% are unsure. At the same time, 57% believe crime would remain about the same if police use facial recognition more widely, while 33 percent believe crime will fall and 8% believe it will increase.

Furthermore, opinions differ on how widespread use of facial recognition technology might affect policing fairness. The majority of respondents feel that broad police use of this technology will result in more missing individuals being found and crimes being solved more promptly and efficiently. Nonetheless, roughly two-thirds believe that authorities would be able to track everyone’s location at all times and that Black and Hispanic communities would be monitored significantly more frequently than other neighbourhoods.

Some perspectives on how AI applications can evolve are mixed: Some people are more enthusiastic, while others are more concerned.
This survey questioned a number of more specific hypothetical advancements in AI projects, in addition to the broad question regarding where individuals stand in terms of their general excitement or anxiety about AI.

The public’s perceptions of six different types of AI applications included in the survey are extremely diverse. Some elicit more excitement than concern, while others elicit significant concern. For example, 57% say they would be very or somewhat pleased with AI applications that could perform home chores, but just 9% feel the same about AI making key life decisions or knowing people’s thoughts and habits.

Nearly half of respondents (46%) are very or somewhat thrilled about AI that can handle repetitive workplace duties, compared to 26% who are very or somewhat frightened. People are more evenly divided when it comes to AI that can diagnose medical problems: 40% are at least somewhat excited, 35% are at least somewhat concerned, and 24% are equally excited and concerned. When people are asked about artificial intelligence (AI) that could handle customer service calls, 47 percent are very or somewhat apprehensive, compared to 27*who are at least somewhat excited.

It’s worth noting that, when it comes to these issues, a majority of Americans say they’re both excited and worried about various AI breakthroughs. Depending on future developments, this percentage could range from 16 to 27%.

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