A new survey by Leger, released Feb. 23, examines how Canadians and Americans feel about AI and how comfortable they are with using the technology. A sample of 1,539 Canadians and 1,000 Americans over the age of 18 was randomly selected for the survey. The questionnaire consisted of 25 questions and the results were collected between February 10th and 12th.

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The survey found that the majority (65%) of Canadian respondents had not used AI software, with 19% saying they had only used it in a “personal context”. About 9% said they use AI for work or school. By age, about 44% of those who reported using this software were between 18 and 34 years old.

This text is a translation of an article by CTV News.

According to the data, Alberta had the most people (30%) who had ever used AI, followed by 26% of respondents in Ontario and 24% in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Overall, 25% of Canadians say they have ever used AI software, compared to 21% of Americans.

“Do you trust AI software?”

Overall, many Canadians do not trust AI to be integrated into their more personal everyday life. When asked if they would trust AI to teach children, around 48% of respondents answered “not at all”. Additionally, 43% said they don’t trust AI to transport them from place to place without a driver. Approximately 41% of Canadians said they would not trust AI when it comes to finding a life partner.

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However, when it comes to completing chores at home or answering questions about a product online, Canadians are more likely to trust an AI. About 46% said they trust technology to turn off the music or adjust the thermostat in their home. Around 41% said they would trust an AI “enough” to answer questions via chat on a website.

According to the survey, younger Canadians tend to trust AI more than older Canadians. The reason Canadians may not trust AI may be because people believe that “AIs lack the emotion/empathy needed to make good decisions”.

About 37% agreed that a woman’s lack of human emotion prevents her from making good decisions. The Canadians also mentioned that they considered AI vulnerable to fraud or hacking.

“Are you familiar with AI tools?”

AI can take many forms such as B. smart home features or facial recognition sensor technology. According to the survey, the majority of Canadians (41%) are familiar with AI household tools, such as B. robot vacuum cleaners, “somewhat familiar”.

Canadians were the second most likely to be familiar with facial recognition AI tools, with 38% saying they were somewhat familiar with them. Tools like ChatGPT and Synthesia, which create content including text, images and voice, are the most misunderstood by Canadians, according to the survey. Around 43% of respondents said they were not at all familiar with these AI tools.

Younger Canadians aged 18-34 were more familiar with AI tools than older Canadians over 35. Canadians aged 18-34 were most (65%) and least (43%) familiar with home AI tools ) with AI for content creation like ChatGPT. Older Canadians were the least aware of AI tools. Between Canada and the United States, Americans were more familiar with all AI tools, although they didn’t use them as much as Canadians.

“Do you think AI is good for society?”

With some understanding of how AI works and what it is used for, around 36% of Canadians believed this technology was good for society.

According to the poll, positive opinion rose to 52% among younger Canadians and fell to 25% among those over 55. Residents in Manitoba and Saskatchewan were the most likely (39%) to think AI is bad for society, compared to the second-highest negative response (31%) from respondents in British Columbia.

Compared to the United States, Canadians had more positive attitudes toward AI than Americans, with 36% of Canadian respondents saying the technology was good for society, compared to 32% of Americans.