Almost half of Poles claim that when they think of artificial intelligence (AI), they feel intrigued, but a staggering 39% admit their feelings are mainly fears. These include improper use of AI, loss of control over it, and the marginalization of the human role in the workplace. However, so far only 11% of respondents use AI-based tools in their work. Though these solutions are increasingly popular, a large group of employees do not know how they could assist them in their professional duties, according to a study “Poles about AI. Daily life, hopes, fears.”
The study, conducted by Maison & Partners and the Ariadna panel for ThinkTank, indicates that 42% of Poles use AI-based tools and are aware of it. The remaining group claims they do not use artificial intelligence – mostly older and less educated people are among them.
“Amazingly 58% claim that they have never had any contact with AI. Of course, we know this is not entirely true because many people are not aware that most functions they use are based on certain artificial intelligence solutions,” says Prof. Dominika Maison from the University of Warsaw, the founder of Maison & Partners, and the author of the study.
The most popular AI tool identified by respondents is ChatGPT. One in four Poles has used it – both in private life, professionally, and in education. Among people under 25, the percentage is more than double (56%).
“Usage of AI solutions depends on demographic characteristics. Firstly, men are more open than women. Age is another factor. We can speculate that young people use it more often and are considerably more open to these solutions, as well as more aware of how many such solutions exist around them. Two other distinguishing factors are education and place of residence. People with higher education, omitting students, show significantly greater openness to AI solutions than those with the lowest education, similarly to people living in larger cities in Poland,” explains the expert.
Almost half of the respondents admit that artificial intelligence piques their curiosity, and a quarter say it is a convenience for them. In these groups, young people dominate. At the same time, 39% of all respondents have fears associated with AI. Importantly, more than half of Poles believe that it carries more threats than benefits. The respondents are most afraid that technology will be used against specific social groups, for example in armed conflicts or against all humanity, i.e., by losing control of the technology or marginalizing workers in the job market.
“11% of working people claim that they use AI solutions at work. Of course, there may be more of them, but they are not aware of it” – says Prof. Dominika Maison. “Most often, these are either people who are employers (18%), or self-employed (19%). Regular employees are the least (9%).”
Another 16% indicate that they plan to introduce AI tools to their work (including 15% of employees or self-employed, and 27% of employers). In turn, 35% would like to use them to a greater extent than before. At the same time, they often indicate that they would need the help of someone who could show them how to use these tools.
“The most common motivation for these people is to eliminate boring, monotonous, repetitive work, so as not to bother with what does not bring pleasure at work, let artificial intelligence do it, and the person will take care of higher matters,” says the expert. “However, the first argument that appeared among the opponents was the fear that ‘I might lose my job’. This is repeated in many studies, which means that the fear of losing a job is great.”
The second reason indicated by opponents of greater use of AI in work is that such tools would not find application in their profession.
“For example, a child and elder caregiver, a person who manufactures furniture or a professional driver. They all said: ‘No, in my profession there is no place for artificial intelligence’. We see that this is an area for education, to show people that there is much more space for it than we think,” emphasizes Prof. Dominika Maison.
The need for education in the field of AI is also indicated by answers to questions about readiness to use this type of tools. Only 9% of respondents rated that they are well prepared for this, and 71% – that they are poorly prepared. Of these, almost half do not feel ready at all.
“There are many fears associated with AI, such as pushing them out of the job market, but also other fears arise. This is a lack of knowledge about what it really is, what it can be used for, and that it can be a help in daily life, not a threat. What is the conclusion? Education, familiarization, showing these solutions, and I think that then this situation will change,” predicts the founder of Maison & Partners.
