Artificial intelligence, as one of the hot and controversial topics in the tech world, has now become a social and political issue. Results from a new survey indicate that a significant portion of Americans fear the consequences of this technology as much as they do some major life crises.
Fear of Corrupt Governments and World War III
According to the results of Chapman University's annual survey, questions about artificial intelligence have been raised for the first time, and two concerns related to this technology have made it into the top 10 fears of the public. In this survey, which included over 1,200 participants, 61.1% of respondents fear "corrupt government officials." This issue has topped the list of fears for the second consecutive year.
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The fear of the United States entering World War III ranks second at 51.9%, and concern about the negative impact of artificial intelligence on the political process is seen in the next position with the same percentage. Notably, the level of concern about the impact of artificial intelligence on politics is nearly equal to the fear of severe illness among family members; the latter accounts for 51.8% of the votes.
Economic and Social Concerns
Additionally, 49.7% of participants are worried that artificial intelligence will harm the economy. This is the first year that researchers at Chapman University in California have added questions about artificial intelligence to this survey. Christopher Beder, a sociologist at the university and the designer of the survey, states that as the presence of artificial intelligence in daily life expands, understanding people's concerns about it will become increasingly important.
However, the precise ranking of fears comes with limitations. The margin of error for the survey is reported at 3.79%, and therefore it is not possible to definitively separate the positions of concerns ranked third to tenth. Concerns about artificial intelligence encompass a wide range of issues; from the spread of fake images and misinformation to the impact of this technology on the economy and politics.
Meanwhile, the proliferation of misleading information and the lack of adequate oversight and regulations are among the challenges that could have real and widespread consequences for society. Researchers at Chapman University expect that concerns about artificial intelligence will remain a significant part of public discussions in the United States in the coming years.
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