Drivers behind the public perception of artificial intelligence: insights from major Australian cities

Tan Yigitcanlar; Kenan Degirmenci; Tommi Inkinen

doi:10.1007/s00146-022-01566-0

Drivers behind the public perception of artificial intelligence: insights from major Australian cities

AI Soc. 2022 Oct 3:1-21. doi: 10.1007/s00146-022-01566-0. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Tan Yigitcanlar¹, Kenan Degirmenci², Tommi Inkinen³

Affiliations

¹ City 4.0 Lab, School of Architecture and Built Environment, Queensland University of Technology, 2 George Street, Brisbane, QLD 4000 Australia.
² School of Information Systems, Queensland University of Technology, 2 George Street, Brisbane, QLD 4000 Australia.
³ Department of Geography and Geology, University of Turku, Turun Yliopisto, 20014 Turku, Finland.

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) is not only disrupting industries and businesses, particularly the ones have fallen behind the adoption, but also significantly impacting public life as well. This calls for government authorities pay attention to public opinions and sentiments towards AI. Nonetheless, there is limited knowledge on what the drivers behind the public perception of AI are. Bridging this gap is the rationale of this paper. As the methodological approach, the study conducts an online public perception survey with the residents of Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, and explores the collected survey data through statistical analysis. The analysis reveals that: (a) the public is concerned of AI invading their privacy, but not much concerned of AI becoming more intelligent than humans; (b) the public trusts AI in their lifestyle, but the trust is lower for companies and government deploying AI; (c) the public appreciates the benefits of AI in urban services and disaster management; (d) depending on the local context, public perceptions vary; and (e) the drivers behind the public perception include gender, age, AI knowledge, and AI experience. The findings inform authorities in developing policies to minimise public concerns and maximise AI awareness.

Keywords: Artificial intelligence (AI); Brisbane; Melbourne; Public perception; Public policy; Sydney.