“Artificial intelligence would be the program that, by entering a few pieces of information, is able to find the answer you are looking for.” This is how one of the participants in the first study on social perception of artificial intelligence (AI) carried out in Spain defined what this technology is is. The Wikipedia definition of AI is not very similar to this participant’s idea: “It is a discipline and a set of cognitive and intellectual abilities expressed through computer systems or combinations of algorithms, the purpose of which is the creation of machines capable of human… Mimic intelligence.” that they can perform tasks and that they can improve by gathering information. Perhaps the big difference between what the survey participant thinks and reality is that AI doesn’t need “a little bit of information,” it needs vast amounts of it.
Researchers from the University of Salamanca have conducted this first study on societal perceptions of artificial intelligence in Spain. The research consisted of a survey, in which 684 people from all autonomous communities took part, and the holding of discussion groups divided by age. The most striking result is the interest and widespread acceptance of this technology among the Spanish. 44.81% of the respondents showed interest in artificial intelligence and 29.24% showed great interest. And 85.6% believe that AI has a positive effect on society. When evaluating these results, it is important to understand the context in which the research was conducted: “Both the survey and the discussion groups were conducted after the explosion in ChatTPG’s popularity,” explains Carlos Arcila Calderón, principal investigator of the study. “In the groups [de discusión] We saw that after the launch of ChatGPT, opinions changed because people discovered the practical application of artificial intelligence in their daily lives,” explains Patricia Sánchez Holgado, also a researcher in the group that carried out the work. “They saw that they could achieve a lot there, and now they appreciate the power they can achieve with this tool,” he adds.
This coincidence in time with the advent of ChatGPT may be why the responses in this work differ from other previous responses conducted in national surveys on societal perceptions of science and technology, which also asked about artificial intelligence, as, for example, in the one carried out by the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (Fecyt) in 2022. In the latter, 34.5% of respondents believed that artificial intelligence posed many or enough risks, compared to 27.8% who believed that it does not pose any risks o These are very small, while in the survey carried out by the Salamanca University group, only 10.51% believe that the harm is greater, compared to 41.14% who disagree. According to Carlos Arcila Calderón, “the explanation for this divergence in the results could be that artificial intelligence was identified with robotics in the Fecyt survey and is generally suspicious because it is associated with job losses”.
The opinions of the people who took part in the study at the University of Salamanca do not seem to have had much influence on the calls of alarm sent out by the chief executives of the largest technology companies about the risks of artificial intelligence, which have been going on since last March . However, the work also reveals the main concerns citizens have about this technology: its potential impact on job losses, the misuse people can make of it, its potential impact on digital privacy and piracy. And due to the possible appearance of gender, racial or political viewpoints.
Coupled with the great interest that artificial intelligence arouses among Spanish citizens, another result that the researchers highlight in their work is the lack of knowledge that society shows about this technology: “The term is known, people use it normally and in most cases.” In some cases he thinks he understands what he is talking about,” assures Carlos Arcila Calderón, “but if we turn to the more practical part, especially the part dealing with prejudice , which is where most of the risks are right now, we see that.” There is no real understanding of what artificial intelligence is. “Our opinion as experts is that there is a higher perception of understanding among citizens than there actually is,” he explains.
The University of Salamanca study on AI is published as part of the detailed discussion of the new legislation on the subject presented by the European Union. Artificial intelligence researcher Isabelle Hupont, adviser to the European Commission on the matter and not involved in the research, points out that the results of the work of the group from the University of Salamanca are very positive: “This study seems wonderful”. Me. Their results really surprised me, because I didn’t expect such acceptance in Spain.” Hupont explains that the social acceptance of AI varies depending on the country and culture: “There have been similar studies in other countries and it has been observed that acceptance of AI is cultural and depends on many factors.” Some of these factors are historical. For example, if a question is asked in a country where there has just been a terrorist attack and the public sees that AI programs can collect information, people are more receptive to this technology.”
Hupont adds that, in his opinion, in Spain “a significant effort is being made to talk about AI, its risks but also its benefits and that people are better informed than in other countries.” What Isabelle Hupont and the researchers are talking about of the University of Salamanca agree is the need for legislation: “In my opinion, artificial intelligence clearly needs to be regulated by law,” explains Hupont. “Europe will be the first country to enact a law regulating this technology. It is not yet in force, we are currently at the stage of negotiating the proposals between the 27 member states,” he adds. Sánchez Holgado also agrees that legislation needs to be enacted to regulate this technology, but warns: “These laws must protect the public, but it is important that they do not put obstacles in the way of the development of the technology.”
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