What Australians think about ChatGPT: do more trust and welcome it – or are wary and concerned?

ChatGPT is going mobile. Just six months after its initial release for public use in November 2022, tech startup OpenAI has made the AI-powered chatbot available to iPhone users in over 45 countries (as of May 2023) with the launch of an iOS app. The company plans to add more countries and roll out an Android app soon.

With the arrival of ChatGPT to mobile devices, the ability to quickly find information, create plans and produce content on a wide range of topics – anywhere and anytime – will soon be available to anyone who owns a smartphone. 

But what proportion of Australians are even aware of ChatGPT? How many have used the AI chatbot – and for what purposes? What do Australians make of ChatGPT – both in respect of what it produces and its impact on the future of work in Australia?

In this three-part series, we unpack the findings of our national study on these questions.

• In Part 1, we explore who is aware of and who is using ChatGPT in Australia. We examine how this varies by generation, gender, education level and work status, as well as the demographic composition of ChatGPT’s regular users in Australia.
• In Part 2, we reveal the proportion of Australians who use ChatGPT for business, entertainment and educational purposes, and how likely different generations are to purchase products recommended by ChatGPT.
• In Part 3 – this article – we explore attitudes towards ChatGPT in Australia. Do consumers trust the AI chatbot’s accuracy and objectivity? And do they see ChatGPT as a helpful tool or a threat to their future employment?

Do Australians think ChatGPT will have a net positive or negative impact on their life?

Latest research from YouGov Surveys: Serviced shows that most Australians who have used ChatGPT so far (81%) think that the AI chatbot will have a positive impact on their life, with two in five expressing great optimism (40%).

However, among Australians who have yet to use ChatGPT but are aware of it, half (50%) of them think the AI chatbot will make no change to their life, while a fifth (20%) think it will have a negative impact.

Do Australians trust ChatGPT to be accurate and objective?

Around half of Australians who have used ChatGPT (81%) say they trust the platform’s responses to be factually accurate for the most part. However, only a quarter of Australians who are aware but have yet to use ChatGPT (26%) express faith in ChatGPT’s veracity.

Most Australians are sceptical of the objectivity and impartiality of ChatGPT’s responses – including those who have used it before – although the same pattern of increasing familiarity and more favourable perceptions of ChatGPT can be observed.

Over half of Australians who have used ChatGPT (53%) believe the AI chatbot’s output is biased or favours certain groups/ideas, while three-fifths of Australians who are aware but have yet to use ChatGPT (60%) hold the same view.

Do Australians view ChatGPT as a danger or utility?

Around half of Australians who have used ChatGPT (51%) believe that interacting with the platform makes them more susceptible to cyber threats and personal data leaks. However, among Australians who are aware but have not used ChatGPT so far, seven in ten (70%) worry that chatting with the bot exposes them to cybersecurity risks.

Most Australians who have used ChatGPT so far view the AI chatbot as a helpful tool in making them more efficient and productive at work (67%), as opposed to a threat to their future employability (33%).

However, the reverse is true among Australians who are aware but have yet to use ChatGPT – slightly over half (52%) say they are concerned that the AI chatbot may lead them to becoming redundant at work in the future.

Make smarter business decisions with better intelligence. Understand exactly what your audience is thinking by leveraging our panel of 20 million+ members. Speak with us today.

• Sign up for monthly insights on the Tech and Media & Content industries here.
• Read YouGov’s latest intelligence on the Tech and Media & Content sectors here.
• Explore our living data – for free.

Methodology: YouGov Surveys: Serviced provides quick survey results from nationally representative or targeted audiences in multiple markets. This study was conducted online from 16-20 March 2023, with a national sample of 1,041 Australian residents, using a questionnaire designed by YouGov. Data figures have been weighted by age, gender and region to be representative of all adults residing in Australia (18 years or older) and reflect the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) population estimates. Learn more about YouGov Surveys: Serviced.

_{Photo by Yuichiro Chino on Getty Images}