What the Public Thinks About AI (Live at We The Curious)
- Kieren Sharma
- Mar 16
- 5 min read
Updated: Mar 17
In this very special episode, we ventured out of the studio to capture the public's thoughts and feelings about artificial intelligence. This unique event gave us the perfect chance to speak with the public directly, while also debuting our first-ever interactive generative AI exhibit.
Why We Must Explore Public Perceptions of AI
As AI is rapidly integrated into various aspects of daily life, faster than any other technology, understanding public sentiment is crucial to addressing societal concerns and maximising benefits. Instead of solely relying on existing surveys, we conducted our own interviews in collaboration with We The Curious, Bristol's renowned interactive science centre.
Being situated within their Open City Lab, we loved their approach of framing the public as the experts, rather than us being the “AI guys" with all the answers. Alongside the interviews, we even created our own interactive generative AI stand. This featured a keyboard and a big blue “generate" button, inviting people to create images based on prompts like “Can you create an image of someone writing with their left hand?". This particular prompt was designed to highlight potential biases in AI models. It was fascinating to see people, especially children, engaging with this technology for the first time and sparking conversations about the ethical considerations of easily generating any image.
Throughout the episode, we played snippets of these live recordings, capturing the genuine voices and diverse perspectives of the people we spoke to. We also gathered responses via digital forms, ensuring we heard from a wide range of individuals.
Key Questions and Insights
Throughout our conversations, we linked participants' responses to broader studies conducted by major institutions, including the UK government's Public Attitudes to Data and AI Tracker Survey, the Alan Turing Institute's Understanding Public Attitudes to AI, GovAI's report on Public Opinion on AI, and YouGov's survey on AI associations.
When you hear “AI” what’s the first thing that comes to mind?
We kicked off our interviews by asking participants to share their immediate thoughts on AI. Responses were incredibly varied:
Many adults immediately referenced generative AI tools like ChatGPT.
Younger interviewees thought more visually, imagining playful concepts like “a pig in space" or “the cutest cat ever."
The prevalent emotions ranged from excitement about potential benefits to concerns of AI becoming “frightening."
It was interesting to note how many children had already heard of and even used ChatGPT.
We discussed how public perception of AI seems to have shifted from the idea of physical robots to the more abstract concept of AI capabilities, particularly chatbots and image generators. This is a recent change, as historically, people might have more readily associated AI with embodied robots.
Interestingly, this aligns closely with broader government surveys showing similar sentiments, with excitement often balanced by fear or apprehension.
Have you noticed AI impacting your daily life in any way?
We explored how individuals perceive AI impacting their everyday experiences:
Several people noted using AI regularly at work, particularly generative AI tools for writing and creative projects.
Younger participants mentioned using AI for educational purposes, highlighting its potential but also raising concerns about becoming overly reliant on technology.
One adult expressed scepticism about “hidden AI," notably recommendation algorithms and targeted advertising—though few fully recognised these as AI applications.
This aligns with studies showing a significant percentage of people frequently use AI, especially chatbots and image generators, often without formal training.
What excites you most about AI, and what concerns you the most?
Our question about what excites and scares people most about AI revealed a leaning towards concerns, though excitement around the potential for positive applications was also present:
Excitement centred around AI's potential to create, educate, and simplify daily tasks.
Key concerns included environmental impacts (energy consumption), ethical dilemmas around misinformation, and fears of job displacement.
Our observations mirror recent studies, particularly highlighting increasing public awareness and concern about AI's environmental impact, even as global surveys emphasise data privacy and security as top worries.
Should we educate children more about AI?
There was a strong consensus among the adults we spoke to about the importance of educating children about AI:
Parents overwhelmingly agreed children should be taught about AI, stressing the importance of understanding technology's benefits and risks.
Concerns were raised about potential manipulation, the need for boundaries, and the importance of understanding the technology to navigate the future.
However, they also pointed out a significant hurdle: many educators themselves lack AI knowledge and the time to teach it effectively.
This concern was reflected in wider surveys. Teachers' surveys in America indicate a similar belief in the need for AI education before the age of 18, but also highlight a lack of time and resources to implement this effectively.
Would kids like an AI homework helper?
When asked if they'd like an AI to help with homework, the response from the children was an enthusiastic yes!
Many highlighted AI's potential to personalise learning, make homework easier, and reduce stress.
One insightful young person even pointed out that homework takes away from family and relaxation time.
These insights underline the attractiveness of AI's personalisation capabilities, something increasingly recognised in educational technology studies.
If you could solve one world problem with AI, what would it be?
When asked to design an AI system to solve a major world problem, interviewees gave some thoughtful answers:
Climate change, recycling, healthcare (especially mental health), and medical breakthroughs (like curing cancer) topped the list.
Online responses echoed these themes and included using AI in court for verdicts and ethical healthcare solutions.
We also highlighted existing positive applications of AI in areas like reducing healthcare wait times and providing easier access to mental health support.
Robot pets vs. real pets?
Finally, as a fun wrap-up, we asked kids if a robot pet would be as fun as a real pet.
Responses were optimistic and indicated a nuanced understanding, highlighting robot pets' unique abilities, like replicating lost pets or learning new tricks, alongside limitations such as lacking warmth and affection.
One child even considered the possibility of a transforming or flying robot pet.
Their responses gave a compelling glimpse into future human-AI interactions and our evolving relationship with technology.
Final Thoughts
Our interviews revealed an insightful snapshot of public sentiment toward AI, capturing a blend of cautious optimism and realistic concern. By connecting these personal insights with broader studies, we've underscored a crucial truth:
As AI continues to rapidly integrate into society, understanding public perception will be key to navigating its benefits and challenges effectively.
We had a fantastic time recording this live episode and plan to do more in-person events in the future, so keep an eye out!. We'd like to extend heartfelt thanks to We The Curious for partnering with us to facilitate these enlightening conversations.
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