Despite the hype around generative AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, less than 10% of individuals are using it regularly, shows a new joint study by YouGov and Oxford University, published May 28. Only 1% in Japan, 2% in France and UK, and 7% in the US said they use generative AI on a regular basis, the study found. Many of these users have only tried it once or twice.
ChatGPT, which surpassed 100 million active users within the first two months of its launch in November 2022, remains the most popular generative AI product. According to the study, its adoption rate was two to three times more than Google's Gemini and Microsoft Copilot.
Further, the report found that the adoption is significantly higher (56%) among young users (18 to 24 years) as compared to users above 55 years (16%). Younger users also believe that the technology will have a major impact on their lives as compared to users in higher age groups.
Around 24% said they have used generative AI for seeking information, while 28% have used it to generate text, codes, audio, images and videos.
Only 5% said they have used it to get news, suggesting that most users still prefer news produced by actual journalists instead of AI. Experts believe that generative AI is still not a reliable source when it comes to news, as it has a tendency to hallucinate and inadvertently generate inaccurate information.
Even if a news article is generated by AI with human oversight, the majority of users involved in the Oxford study want to see a disclosure or label on it.
The success of ChatGPT has generated massive interest in generative AI. Further, its integration into workplace applications by Microsoft and Google is driving adoption among enterprise users.
Unlike enterprises which are pushing workforce to use generative AI, individual users face no such pressure. Their adoption depends on both awareness and the popularity of specific chatbots like ChatGPT.
That said, the Oxford University study shows that the hype around the technology is yet to spur adoption by individual users.
YouGov conducted the survey between March and April in six countries including the US, UK, France, Japan, Argentina, and Denmark. Around 12,000 people participated in the survey, which was commissioned by University of Oxford's Reuters Institute for Study of Journalism (RISJ) to understand how the public is using generative AI and what they think of its use for work.
Though the Oxford study doesn’t include India, other studies show that there is a massive interest in generative AI among both individual users as well as enterprises in the country. For instance, a May report by Deloitte involving close to 12,000 individuals in 13 countries, shows that 93% of Indian students and 83% employees are using generative AI.
According to an EY estimate, its adoption can help India add $ 359 billion to $ 438 billion to its GDP by 2029-30.