A new survey suggests that British citizens are embracing generative AI technologies like ChatGPT at a phenomenal rate

Sometimes the hype surrounding new technologies far outweighs the reality. But a new survey suggests that British citizens are embracing generative AI technologies like ChatGPT at a phenomenal rate.

When questioned by accounting group, 26% of UK adults have used a generative AI service, such as intelligent chatbots. This is equivalent to 13 million British citizens. And one in 10 Brits are now using AI tools at least once a day.

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Not just for fun

A lot of people have been ‘playing’ with ChatGPT to see what the platform is capable of. However, one in 10 (4 million people) are using generative AI for work.

The ability to produce convincing text and images has helped workers become more productive by allowing them to perform common tasks like writing emails, creating artwork or conduct research more quickly.

Surprisingly rapid adoption

Often new technologies take a long time to experience widespread adoption. Analysts note that it took five years for smart speakers like Amazon Alexa, Apple HomePod and Google Nest, to attract similar levels of uptake.

ChatGPT has experienced no such difficulties as people have embraced the platform from almost the moment it was released to the public. Undoubtedly some of this success is due to the fact that no special hardware is required to interact with generative AI – you can access most services from a PC or smartphone app. Smart speakers require users to purchase specialist hardware – which can be quite expensive in the case of Apple devices. By lowering the barrier to entry, generative AI has overcome many of the problems inherent with other new technologies.

A word of warning

There was one finding in the Deloitte survey that should cause some concern. 40% of those questioned said that they believe generative AI systems always produce factually correct answers. Sadly, this is not true.

AI systems are only as accurate as the data used to train them. If the algorithm has received factually incorrect data during training, it is likely that the results of any queries will also be incorrect.

It is also important to note that some AI systems are only able to refer to historical training data. In the case of ChatGPT, no new data has been introduced into the system since September 2021 – meaning that any ‘factual’ information it produces could be two years (or more) out of date.

Exciting times ahead

The fact that British users are embracing generative AI is positive for the industry as a whole. User demand will drive new innovations and improvements, ensuring that the technology becomes even more useful – and valuable.

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