Even though Canadians fear that artificial intelligence (AI) could one day steal their jobs, a new survey shows that more and more Canadians are turning to the tools it offers.

The survey, conducted by the company Léger, concludes that 30% of Canadians now use artificial intelligence, compared to 25% a year ago, although two-thirds of respondents admitted that the prospect of having it in their lives was worrying.

A survey of 1,614 Canadians shows a clear gap between how younger and older people view AI: 58% of 18- to 34-year-olds said they use AI tools, compared to just 13% of those aged 55 and over.

Without knowing

However, Christian Bourque, Executive Vice President of Léger, believes that the number of people who have been exposed to or interacted with AI is likely higher than reported, as some people may not be aware that they are using it.

At 64%, respondents aged 18 to 34 were more familiar with the concept of chatbots or conversational agents, i.e. a computer program that simulates and processes a human conversation, on the web than those over 55, who were 38%.

Those who have used AI services or tools generally had good experiences with them: 71% rated them as good or excellent.

And for society?

But in general, Canadians seem to have mixed feelings: 31% of respondents believe they are good for society, and 32% believe the opposite. Respondents’ attitudes on the issue varied by age; 42% of younger respondents believed AI tools were good for society, compared to just 23% of older Canadians.

Some of the most common concerns relate to privacy and fears that society will become too dependent on AI, with which 81% of respondents agree. Three-quarters of respondents said that AI tools lack the emotions and empathy needed to make good decisions and that they put human jobs at risk.

Most Canadians (58%) trust artificial intelligence to do things like adjust their thermostat, listen to music or vacuum their house, while slightly fewer (53%) trust it to access personal data when it comes to facial recognition or biometrics.

Depending on the situation

Canadians are more cautious about using AI tools to create content for important projects at school or work, with only 37% trusting them in this context.

The age gap was also evident in this question, with 44% of 18- to 34-year-olds having confidence in technology for these projects, compared to 29% of those over 55. Likewise, nearly half of younger respondents agreed with the idea of ​​technology platforms using AI to decide what content to display on social media, compared to 23% of older Canadians.

When it comes to personal safety, trust dwindles. Less than a quarter of respondents trust AI to transport people in a vehicle, although here too the age difference was clearly visible.

A similar divide emerged when it came to relying on artificial intelligence to find a life partner online: a quarter of respondents aged 18 to 34 would rely on the technology, compared to just 10% of people over 55.

This Leger poll has no margin of error because online polls are not considered truly random samples.

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