Abstract
This study examines the relationship between individuals’ beliefs about AI (Artificial Intelligence) and levels of anxiety with respect to their technology readiness level. In this cross-sectional study, we surveyed 65 students at a southwestern US college. Using partial least squares analysis, we found that technology readiness contributors were significantly and positively related to only one AI anxiety factor: socio-technical illiteracy. In contrast, all four links between technology readiness inhibitors and AI anxiety factors were significant with medium effect sizes. Technology readiness inhibitors are positively related to learning, fears of job replacement, socio-technical illiteracy, and particular AI configurations. Thus, we conclude that AI anxiety runs through a spectrum. It is influenced by real, practical consequences of immediate effects of increased automatization but also by popular representations and discussions of the negative consequences of artificial general intelligence and killer robots and addressing technology readiness is unlikely to mitigate effects of AI anxiety.
Highlights
A quick search shows that people are generally ambivalent about the advent of artificial intelligence (AI)
All four links between Technology Readiness Inhibitors (TRI) and AI anxiety factors were significant with medium effect sizes: TRI was significantly related to Learning (β=0.474, p
This study examined the relationship between individuals’ beliefs about AI (Artificial Intelligence) and levels of anxiety with respect to their technology-based predispositions
Summary
A quick search shows that people are generally ambivalent about the advent of artificial intelligence (AI). Johnson and Verdicchio [1] have argued that much of AI anxiety is overblown and can be attributed to three factors: an exclusive focus on AI programs that leaves humans out of the picture, confusion about autonomy in computational entities and in humans, and an inaccurate conception of technological development. They conclude there are good reasons to worry about AI but not for the reasons advanced by AI alarmists. Whereas a Canadian government policy paper [6] found a correlation between Canadians’ fear of losing jobs due to automation and populist and nativist views, but that Canadians supported traditional government policy solutions such as workforce retraining more than limiting labor mobility
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