Much of the world seems more enthusiastic about AI than Americans, a poll finds

People around the world are using AI more than Americans are, at least according to a new poll out from Ipsos and Google.

About 40% of adults in the U.S. told pollsters that they used generative AI in the last year. In Brazil, that number was nearly 75%; in Nigeria, the United Arab Emirates, and India, it was 85%.

In countries where people report using AI more, they’re also more likely to be excited about the technology.

A majority of Americans are more concerned about the risks associated with AI than they are excited about the possibilities.

“What we know about the U.S. is there are particularly acute concerns about how it's going to impact the economy, or particularly jobs,” said Alec Tyson, senior vice president and lead pollster at Ipsos Public Affairs.

In some other countries Ipsos surveyed — including the UAE, Nigeria, Brazil, and India — it’s the opposite; most people are excited.

“I think there is a sense around the world that, in many of the places surveyed, there's a lot to gain from AI,” Tyson said. “Maybe the upside there is really clear in terms of closing some of the gaps to information or resources.”

Whereas in the U.S., the potential upsides are less clear.

In these still early days of AI, it’s not surprising that people who have less to begin with might feel they have more to gain, according to David Deming, a professor of economics at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

“I just think in general, people in middle-income countries have less access to the global economy, and AI is a great way to speed up their access,” he said. “And so it turns out to be much more beneficial economically for people who are less connected.”

And it may be less beneficial for people who are connected already and making good money in jobs that AI could potentially do either now or soon.

Even before AI, people in the U.S. were feeling increasingly pessimistic about the economy and their future prospects, said Paul Kedrosky, a research fellow at the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy.

“And this only accelerates that, because there is this palpable sense that this won't make things better, because it's not about access to resources and making it easier for people to become more skilled or become more successful,” Kedrosky said. “Whereas in other countries that didn't have the access to all of the things that made it easier for Americans to get to this position, this feels like a shortcut.”

Kedrosky said that both the optimism and the wariness around AI are warranted.

“I think the disruption is going to be massive,” he said. “Within countries, I think it'll lead pretty quickly to further inequality. But in terms of, at the country levels, it's going to be a huge leveler in terms of bringing up countries that were struggling to advance, and now feel like they've got a cheat code.”

That’s a big part of why there is so much excitement about AI in other countries, he added.