“They NEVER use AI outside of work”

Just lately I was told a colleague said “They NEVER use AI outside of work” (ie only when forced to). I’m not sure what their reasoning was, but it seems to me it was an understandable fear of what is proving to be life changing technology. I think their concerns are valid.

Professor Nick Haslam, University of Melbourne has written an article about recent study led by Harvard University’s Julian De Freitas, and featured in Nature Human Behaviour, going into the psychological challenges in adopting AI technologies. The research highlights five key barriers:

🔮 AI as Opaque: Many view AI as a ‘black box’, fostering distrust and fear due to its mysterious nature. Clear, balanced explanations about how AI works can help demystify it.
🤖 AI as Unfeeling: AI is often perceived as lacking emotion, making it seem inferior for tasks requiring empathy. Counteracting this involves anthropomorphising AI or redefining emotional tasks in objective terms.
🔒 AI as Rigid: AI’s perceived inflexibility and lack of adaptability can be a hurdle. Demonstrating AI’s learning capabilities and customization can reduce this resistance.
🕹 AI as Too Autonomous: The independent operation of AI can threaten our need for control. Ensuring user control and designing AI to complement human expertise can alleviate this concern.
👤 AI as Non-Human: Resistance may arise from AI not being part of our species. Fostering a perception of AI having human-like consciousness can enhance engagement.

Understanding and addressing these concerns is crucial for broader AI adoption and leveraging its full potential.


Here’s the full article:

https://lnkd.in/gTAscBRJ