Software robots that can write coherent texts and answer questions are not only experiencing an unprecedented boom in Silicon Valley. In Germany, too, more and more people are gaining experience.
Every fourth person in Germany between the ages of 18 and 60 has already tried an artificial intelligence application such as the text robot ChatGPT. A good two-thirds (69 percent) are already familiar with the concept of these AI tools. This is the result of a representative survey published on Saturday by the opinion research institute Kantar, which was commissioned by the career portal Jobteaser.
The younger respondents are only a little better acquainted with the AI services than the older ones. In “Generation Z”, i.e. those surveyed between the ages of 18 and 27, 76 percent say they are familiar with AI technology. The figure for “Generation Y” (28 to 42 years) is 74 percent. In the “Generation X” (43 to 60 years) it is still 63 percent.
The active use of the AI services depends more on the age of the people. “Generation Z” uses AI tools most intensively: According to the Kantar survey, 41 percent have used them at least once. In “Generation Y” the value drops to 29 percent and in the oldest group only 13 percent have gained active experience. Across all three age groups, 24 percent of those surveyed have already tested the text robot ChatGPT, the AI image generator DALL-E or comparable services in practice.
Mostly positively received
When asked in general terms, a majority of around 70 percent see the development of AI tools in our society as positive. According to the survey, around every second respondent intends to use AI tools in the future for professional purposes or during their studies, and the figure for 18 to 27-year-olds is as high as 72 percent. But like the older generations, the 18 to 27-year-olds have different opinions when it comes to the use of AI in their studies: For 45 percent, their use amounts to fraud – 50 percent even call for a ban.
Various test runs had previously shown that the text robot ChatGPT would pass various university exams. A study showed that the software did remarkably well in an exam for prospective physicians in the USA. The text robot ChatGPT had previously asserted itself in other university subjects, even if it did not achieve top marks in the exams.
After the public launch of ChatGPT by the Californian start-up company OpenAI in November 2022, a number of players in the technology industry are racing for the favor of users. OpenAI is supported by Microsoft with billions of dollars. In return, Microsoft may integrate the technology into its Bing search engine and other products. Opponents of OpenAI and Microsoft are primarily Google and Facebook.
