Most Americans don’t like surreptitious AI use, but many are unbothered by AI-generated music
A new study investigates how US adults feel about unsuspecting use of the increasingly ubiquitous tech.
During the unveiling of Meta’s new smart glasses last week, besides a few blunders, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said: “It is no surprise that AI glasses are taking off. This feeling of presence is a profound thing...”
The hardware will supposedly provide in-person “presence” with a built-in assistant that can interpret surroundings in real time. However, by placing AI literally in front of our eyes, Americans might be even harder pressed by a thoroughly modern issue: the use of AI in unsuspecting scenarios.
Fool me once, shame on AI
A new study from Pew Research Center asked US adults how they would react in different hypothetical situations — including seeing a painting and talking to customer service — if they found out, after the fact, that AI had been employed to produce whatever they were interacting with.
Unsurprisingly, responses in all cases leaned negative. The most negative reaction was where respondents imagined they’d learned that a political candidate had used AI to write a speech they had liked, with 71% of Americans saying they’d like the candidate less as a result.
The use of AI in the arts was generally more accepted than politics, banking, and journalism, with only 38% of people reporting that they’d like music less after discovering it had been generated by AI.
In many cases, Americans were ambivalent about AI being used without their knowledge, with an average of 42% responding neutrally across all seven situations. Interestingly, a sizeable share (13%) felt more positive about doctors recommending treatments with the help of AI, even if unbeknownst to them.
And, for what it’s worth: AI was not used in the writing of this article.
