About six-in-ten U.S. adults (58%) have heard of the AI software ChatGPT, but just 14% say they have used it themselves, according to recent surveys conducted by the Pew Research Center.
The online chatbot lets users ask questions and request content such as texts and images. The human-like quality of ChatGPT’s responses has captured the attention of the media, the tech industry and some members of the public.
Overall, 18% of U.S. adults surveyed have heard a lot about ChatGPT, while 39% have heard a little about the technology and 42% have heard nothing at all about it, Pew found. The question of how ChatGPT should be used has been hotly contested. Some people consider ChatGPT a useful tool for educational and work purposes, while others think it should only be used for entertainment.
Adults under 30 who have heard of ChatGPT are far more likely than those 65 and older to have used the chatbot for entertainment (31% versus 4%), Pew found. However, few U.S. adults have used ChatGPT for any purpose.
The technology has been criticized for sometimes generating inaccurate answers, making up information, using the names of real organizations to try and legitimize its claims, and accusing real people of crimes they did not commit. Such falsehoods can appear convincing because ChatGPT generates seemingly authoritative prose even as it cites nonexistent sources.
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[Photo credit: kaspars grinvalds]