Boom with consequences

Almost one in three Austrians already uses AI

AI can make many things easier for us in the future. According to our survey, a large proportion of Austrians think so too.

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Austrians are predominantly positive about artificial intelligence, according to an IFDD study commissioned by the "Krone" newspaper. While some of the results are surprising, cyber expert Dr. Cornelius Granig also points out many positive, but also negative consequences of the AI boom. 

"Artificial intelligence abolishes Matura part" was the title of a story in our Wednesday edition. It was referring to the compulsory pre-scientific paper, which is now on the verge of being abolished. The reason: more and more students are cheating with the help of the intelligent ChatGPT program, so the work no longer makes sense. However, pupils are by no means the only ones in the country who use AI.

AI in the workplace makes a lot of sense for Austrians
As a recent survey by the Institute for Demoscopy & Data Analysis (IFDD) shows, almost one in three people consciously use artificial intelligence in some form or another - a remarkable 22% of people over the age of 50 do so. A large majority of respondents consider the use of AI to be particularly useful in the world of work - especially when it comes to carrying out routine tasks.

Driving without driving. Austrians are skeptical when it comes to autonomous driving.

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The fun stops for us when it comes to cars
Austrians are much more skeptical when it comes to mobility, i.e. autonomous driving. The majority are against the use of artificial intelligence. Art and jurisdiction still untouchable. Even three quarters of the approximately 1,000 respondents do not consider the use of AI for court rulings to be useful, explains Nadine Ejupi, head of the study: "People may fear that emotional nuances cannot be adequately taken into account by artificial intelligence and that transparency is not fully ensured."

People with a formally higher level of education show a more positive attitude towards artificial intelligence.

Studienleiterin Nadine Ejupi, Institut für Demoskopie & Datenanalyse (IFDD)

AI rather not a composer, but an investigator
Austrians also see little future for AI with regard to music. Six out of ten respondents do not consider the influence of AI for composing music and writing lyrics to be useful. Ejupi: "This result is easy to understand, as perhaps the emotional depth that human artists have cannot be achieved." According to the survey, much better areas of application for artificial intelligence would be in defense and investigative work.

43 percent of those surveyed are quite positive about AI.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV, stock.adobe.com)

A future with a lot of light - but also shadows
As the Krone survey shows, our readers have a positive attitude towards artificial intelligence (AI) in all but a few areas. It is undisputed that AI will lead to revolutions. These can be positive. When making diagnoses and developing treatment plans in medicine or eliminating production errors in manufacturing. Bots are helping us to answer questions better and better. People with physical disabilities are able to manage their lives better and better with assistance robots.

Many people are afraid and worried about the negative effects of AI. Especially about losing their jobs, data misuse and the increase in perfect cyber attacks.

„Krone“-Cyberexperte Dr. Cornelius Granig

"Need emergency stop option"
But where there are advantages, there are also disadvantages, as "Krone" cyber expert Dr. Cornelius Granig knows. "Humans must always have an emergency stop option," Granig warns against AI taking on a life of its own. Otherwise, serious damage could occur. Despite all the euphoria, jobs that could be replaced by AI are also at risk. Granig believes that near-perfect cyberattacks, in which voices and faces are imitated, will be particularly worrying in the future.

AI will play a major role in criminal investigations, including in the fight against hackers.

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TU Vienna watches AI think
AI and human intelligence are probably more similar than expected. This is demonstrated by a research project at TU Wien using image recognition. At the neuron level, AI was "watched thinking". As in the nervous system, the computer passes on image impulses in ever more detailed branches until it recognizes what it sees. The research could become the basis for AI learning faster in the future.