Some 73% of the Austrian population has ‘little to no knowledge’ about artificial intelligence, new findings by Statistics Austria have found.
Around a quarter of the population classify their knowledge of AI as ‘good’, the statistics body noted, with overall attitudes to AI remaining cautious – just 35% express a positive view of the increasing role of AI in society.
More than two fifths (43%) said that they see the potential for AI in assisting with their working lives, while just over one in eight (13%) are concerned about AI replacing their current role. Just 31% of Austrians report having used generative AI tools, and frequent usage is rare – just 4% use them daily or almost daily.
Interest in learning more about AI is similarly low among Austrian citizens, with only 32% showing interest.
‘Viewed rather sceptically’
“The mega-topic of artificial intelligence has barely reached the majority of the population in Austria,” commented Tobias Thomas, director general of Statistics Austria. “The use of AI is viewed rather sceptically and generative AI tools are used little or not at all.
“However, younger people and people with a university degree are much more open-minded when it comes to AI. More than half of 16 to 24-year-olds view the increasing use of AI positively and use generative AI tools such as ChatGPT; we also see similarly high proportions among university graduates.”
Read more: 73% of Europeans believe AI could affect earnings for artists
Use of AI tools
Among the 16 to 24-year-old group, over 57% had used AI tools recently, a figure that rose to 76% among students. In contrast, usage and acceptance were notably lower among older age groups – only 5% of those aged 65 to 74 used generative AI.
On a gender basis, 39% of men viewed the increasing use of AI as a positive, compared to 31% of women.
‘The data highlights that groups which tend to be tech-savvy overall, are also considerably more open towards AI technologies,’ Statistics Austria said. ‘At the same time, the majority of the population remains in a cautious to sceptical stance, characterised by low usage shares and critical perception of the technology.’ Read more here.
