A new Omdia poll indicates that consumer acceptance of generative AI (GAI) apps in major markets remains minimal after a year of buzz and heat. However, existing users are highly engaged, and more consumers are planning to implement GAI in the near future.
Omdia’s 2023 Consumer AI survey polled over 3,000 people in the US, UK, and China about their attitudes towards and use of GAI. The data show that regular utilisation of GAI applications remains modest, at 10% across the three markets. Given the tremendous supply-side activity, service/product launches, and extensive media coverage, these outcomes may appear surprising. However, loudness and push do not always correlate to consumer adoption and usage.
What is exciting for generative service providers is that 17% of survey respondents had urgent plans to implement GAI (i.e., within weeks), which should increase the survey sample user base to 27% in a short period of time.
Current utilisation levels among individuals who have embraced GAI applications are healthy and are likely to rise. A quarter of respondents use GAI applications once a day (10%) or more (15%), another quarter at least once a week, and 29% a couple of times per week. Even more encouraging, existing GAI users predict an increase in consumption over the next 12 months, with 37% expecting a large rise.
However, a sizable proportion of respondents in the poll are opposed to GAI: 41% of those who have heard about GAI applications have no plans to utilise them. “These consumers may be put off by the negative aspects of generative AI, which the survey indicates are on their minds,” says Eden Zoller, Omdia Chief Analyst, Consumer AI and research lead. Fears about how generative AI will disrupt job functions, be used to perpetrate fraud, manipulate people, and propagate disinformation are among the top concerns expressed by poll respondents. “Consumers must be shown that generative AI is valuable and trustworthy,” argues Zoller.
