Stevens’ TechPulse Report Reveals the Changing Landscape of Americans’ Outlook on AI
A 2024 survey from Stevens Institute of Technology reveals Americans' shifting attitudes toward artificial intelligence as use soars and new applications proliferate
Hoboken, N.J., April 9, 2024 – Americans increasingly believe AI is not well regulated, even as they grow accustomed to using generative AI tools in everyday life. When it comes to which segments of users are perceived as the most likely to misuse AI, individuals, governments and businesses rank highest, while public trust is strongest for the U.S. military, healthcare organizations and institutions of higher education.
These are among the findings from Stevens Institute of Technology’s TechPulse Report, a survey conducted with Morning Consult to explore Americans’ perspectives on emerging technologies. The 2024 TechPulse compared the current outlook to trends identified in the 2023 survey and the 2021 iteration to better understand Americans' perceptions of generative AI.
Though last year's survey uncovered overwhelming wariness toward AI, attitudes are shifting with increases in daily use and growing awareness of AI’s potential benefits. However, many Americans still harbor concerns about AI’s potential risks.
"Americans have become significantly more aware of the current state of AI regulation, considering its impact across all aspects of human life," said Brendan Englot, associate professor and director of the Stevens Institute for Artificial Intelligence (SIAI). "We're all a little nervous about letting AI make important decisions too soon, given the potential associated risks and failures – especially since the public expects a perfect track record. Even one failure of an AI system that leads to damage, injury or fatality would be considered unacceptable. We need to be careful about releasing those tools to the public."
Topline findings from the 2024 report include:
Adults increasingly believe AI is not well-regulated – The share of employed adults with at least a bachelor's degree who say AI is not well-regulated is up by 25 points since 2021.
Despite strong feelings of concern, U.S. adults still seem to find value in using Generative AI tools – Half of employed adults (52%) with at least a bachelor's degree agree that generative AI tools are still worth using despite not completely trusting them.
Adults believe the risks outweigh the benefits of generative AI tools in the workforce –44% of adults overall, 43% of employed adults and 43% of employed adults with a college degree agree with this statement. This represents a 5 to 6% increase over 2023 results.
Individuals, governments and businesses are perceived as more likely to misuse AI – Three in four adults say that it is somewhat or very likely that individuals, businesses or the government will misuse AI. This viewpoint has increased noticeably since last year.
Public trust in using AI is highest for the U.S. military, healthcare organizations and higher education institutions –The share of employed adults who trust (52%) higher education institutions is 20 points higher than those who distrust (32%) them to use AI responsibly.
“These snapshots of public sentiment around AI are vital for those researching, developing and implementing AI tools across all industries,” said Nariman Farvardin, president of Stevens Institute of Technology. “It has never been more important for leaders in higher education to participate in conversations about AI, as society will increasingly depend on educated graduates who will keep ethical use of AI at the forefront of technology innovation.”
To view the infographic, click here. For more information about the survey and the full findings, click here.
Methodology
The 2024 research conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of Stevens Institute of Technology is an extension of TechPulse surveys in Sept 2021 and April 2023. This edition, which focused on Americans' attitudes, beliefs and behaviors toward AI, surveyed 2,132 adults on February 28 and 29, 2024. Interviews were conducted online, and the data was weighted to approximate a target sample of adults based on age, gender, race, educational attainment, region, gender by age and race by educational attainment. Results from the complete survey have a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points.
About Stevens Institute of Technology
Stevens Institute of Technology is a premier, private research university situated in Hoboken, New Jersey. Since our founding in 1870, technological innovation has been the hallmark of Stevens' education and research. Within the university's four schools, 8,000 undergraduate and graduate students collaborate closely with faculty in an interdisciplinary, student-centric, entrepreneurial environment. Academic and research programs spanning business, computing, engineering, the arts and other disciplines actively advance the frontiers of science and leverage technology to confront our most pressing global challenges. The university continues to be consistently ranked among the nation's leaders in career services, post-graduation salaries of alumni and return on tuition investment.
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