More than half of Americans use artificial intelligence technology, from voice assistants to health applications, but when do they want to interact with AI rather than humans.
A new national poll shows that a generation has carefully navigated the AI revolution while demanding clearer information on potential risks.
The University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging survey of 2,883 adults aged 50-97 and found that 55% used AI technology that they could talk to or enter messages. However, almost all respondents (92%) wanted to know when the information they received was generated rather than artificially created.
Smart home adoption leads to AI use
Among the elderly who receive AI, smart home devices show the strongest adoption and satisfaction. Using Ai-Power’s voice assistants over the past year, such as Alexa or Siri, 80% found them beneficial to living at home independently and safely.
For AI-powered home security systems, the results are even more amazing. Of the 35% of people using smart locks, cameras and alarm systems, 96% reported that these devices succeeded in achieving aging.
Health information remains controversial
While 14% of older people have used AI for health information, there is still a disagreement over its effectiveness. Of those who tried AI for health queries, 47% said human interaction would be better, while only 26% believed that AI and human assistance were roughly the same.
“This kind of information that cannot be verified from false information, whether in the form of text, images, video or audio, is especially important in health information,” said Jeffrey Kullgren, primary care physician at VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System.
Trust issues and detection challenges
Polls show that the elderly pay great attention to trust:
- Only 4% of AI-generated information “very trusted”
- 46% report “few to distrust” of AI content
- 50% lack confidence in the ability to discover incorrect AI to generate information
- Healthy people are more likely to distrust AI information
Interestingly, older people who actually use AI technology have higher levels of trust than non-users (70% vs. 34%), suggesting that experience may reduce anxiety about technology.
Education requirements exceed benefits
The survey found a surprising imbalance in AI that older people want to know. Although 58% say they are interested in understanding the benefits of AI, a large number of 81% want to understand the risks.
“AI will stay here. Many older people seem to know the benefits, but most people want to provide more information about potential risks when using AI technology,” noted Robin Brewer, assistant professor at UM School of Information.
These findings provide community organizations, libraries, and healthcare providers with the opportunity to develop educational programs for “healthy” AI use – teaching older people when to use AI with search engines and how to verify the information generated by AI.
As artificial intelligence becomes more common in society, polls show that older people neither refuse nor blindly accept these technologies. Instead, they demand the transparency and education required to use AI safely and effectively.
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