The survey, conducted by firm Léger, concluded 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 be.

The survey of 1,614 Canadians shows a clear divide 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 55-year-olds. and more.

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

Respondents ages 18 to 34 were most familiar with the concept of website chatbots, a computer program that simulates and processes human conversations. 64% said they were known, compared to 38% of those over 55. Those who have used AI services or tools generally had good experiences with them: 71% rated them good or excellent.

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 towards this issue varied depending on their age; 42% of younger respondents thought AI tools were good for society, compared to just 23% of older Canadians.

Some of the most common concerns relate to privacy and the fear of society becoming too dependent on AI, which 81% of respondents agree with. Three-quarters of respondents said AI tools lack the emotion and empathy needed to make good decisions and 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 do facial recognition or biometrics accesses personal data.

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: 44% of 18- to 34-year-olds trusted the technology for these projects, compared to 29% of those over 55. Likewise, almost 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 diminishes. Less than a quarter of those surveyed trust the AI ​​to transport people in a vehicle, although the age difference was clearly visible here too.

See also: Despite certain ethical problems, AI offers concrete solutions

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 those over 55 -year olds.

This Leger survey has no margin of error because online surveys are not considered true random samples.