Over Two Thirds of Austrians Use Artificial Intelligence
42 percent of the approximately 1,000 respondents had a generally positive attitude towards AI - an increase of five percentage points compared to the Trade Association Consumer Check from the previous year. The number of critically minded individuals decreased from 52 percent to 22 percent. "There is a clear connection between knowledge and attitude: 78 percent who rate their own AI knowledge as good also view AI positively overall," said Rainer Will, Managing Director of the Trade Association. "Education and practical experience are therefore key levers to strengthen trust in AI technologies."
Significant Differences by Age and Gender
In the so-called Generation Z, that is, people born between 1997 and 2007, about 60 percent of respondents use the AI service ChatGPT several times a week. Accordingly, two-thirds of them perceive the current development of the technology as positive, and 57 percent describe their interest and enthusiasm for the technology as high. Additionally, almost a fifth reported using AI for "psychological counseling" - for example, in relationship matters.
Among those over 60, however, only 30 percent had a positive attitude towards the technology, while only about half use an AI service at least rarely. Across all age groups, respondents positively associated AI with potential medical advancements (56 percent). Efficiency improvements and better access to knowledge were also mentioned (40 and 38 percent).
Artificial Intelligence: Malicious Use as a Threat
Future threats are perceived by a majority (68 percent) as malicious uses such as deepfakes and cybercrime. A third fear job losses and economic inequalities due to the technology; among Generation Z, this fear was more pronounced at 42 percent than in other age groups.
While exactly half of the men have a very or rather positive attitude towards AI, only 35 percent of women do. Similarly, more than half of the men expect the technology to positively change their lives in the next five years, while for women it is only about a third. "It is also essential to mention that a third of the total population does not use AI technologies at all," said Will.
In addition to consumers, 318 companies from different industries were surveyed. Two-thirds of them already use AI, about half of them for text creation, 41 percent for translations, and 37 percent as an "intelligent search engine." The most widely used AI services are ChatGPT (53 percent), Microsoft Copilot (36 percent), DeepL (27 percent), and Google Gemini (19 percent). A quarter of the companies stated that they are developing their own solutions instead of using existing tools.
AI: Efficiency Increases in a Third of Companies
Only about a fifth of the surveyed companies are already advanced or well-progressed in implementation, while a third plan to use AI in the coming years. Only about a third rated their knowledge of the technology as very good or good. "The willingness is there, but companies often still lack resources. Therefore, we need to actively shape AI access, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises, with comprehensive training, guidelines, and best practices," said Will.
In about a third of the companies, the use of AI has led to noticeable efficiency increases, 22 percent reported cost reductions, about a fifth reported higher customer satisfaction, and 15 percent reported measurable revenue increases. "Our joint study shows a clear sense of optimism. Now it is important to close the gap in knowledge and implementation - together with partners from business, politics, and education," emphasized Maimuna Mosser, Country Manager of Google Austria.
(APA/Red.)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.