Large majority expect noticeable changes through AI soon

• Germans want AI to be used primarily for cyber security, in administration and for intelligent mobility 
• Scepticism about the use of AI in sport, politics and the military as well as in art and culture

Berlin, 16 January 2024 - Artificial intelligence will have noticeably changed society in just a few years - a clear majority of Germans expect this. Just over a quarter (28 per cent) say that AI has already led to noticeable changes, and a further 8 per cent expect this to happen in the course of this year. A quarter (25 per cent) believe that such changes will occur in the next two to five years, while 17 per cent expect them to occur in six to ten years. Only 18 per cent believe that social changes will not become apparent for at least ten years and just 1 per cent think this will never be the case. These are the results of a survey of 1,004 people aged 16 and over commissioned by the digital association Bitkom. "Many people have had their first direct contact with AI thanks to the new voice or image generation services such as ChatGPT or Midjourney and have been able to experience its potential in a very practical way," says Bitkom President Dr Ralf Wintergerst. "They realised that AI is not just one of many technological innovations. AI has the power to change the world."

Germans are open to the use of AI in a variety of areas of life. For example, 8 out of 10 (79 per cent) would like AI to be used for cyber security, for example with automated threat detection. Three quarters (75 per cent) are in favour of the use of AI in administration and just as many want to use AI in transport, for example with intelligent traffic lights or autonomous vehicles. 70 per cent want AI in the healthcare sector, for example to support diagnoses or the development of medicines. Two thirds (66 per cent) want AI to be used in the area of the environment and sustainability, for example to improve energy efficiency. Six out of ten want AI to be used in education (61 per cent), for example for personalised learning platforms or the automated assessment of tests, to support the police (60 per cent), for example in intelligent video surveillance or to identify locations with a high probability of crime. In online retail, 56 per cent of people want to see AI, for example for chatbots in customer service. Around half (52 per cent in each case) are in favour of AI being used in banks, for example for fraud detection or automated investment recommendations, and in the justice system, for example for the automated analysis of court documents. "With AI, we can become more efficient in many areas and save time and money. Artificial intelligence can make an important contribution to solving the major challenges of the coming years, from climate change to the modernisation of administration," says Wintergerst.

There is no majority for the use of AI in sport (44 per cent), for example for automated refereeing decisions, in the military (43 per cent), for example for autonomous drones, and in politics (39 per cent), for example to predict the impact of laws. The lowest level of approval (33 per cent) is for the use of AI in art and culture, for example for AI-generated literature, music or images.