Who's Afraid of AI—and Why?

We live in an era where machines increasingly perform functions once restricted to humans. Automation in manufacturing has been commonplace for decades, but in the past several years self-driving cars, virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa, large language models like ChatGPT, generative artificial intelligence (AI) art programs like DALL-E, and AI military targeting systems like GOSPEL have have begun to transform our world.

These changes have brought with them economic anxiety for workers who may be displaced and ethical concerns regarding how these systems are used and the principles on which they make decisions that may mean life or death. Some have gone so far as to predict that technologies like these may lead to the destruction of humanity.

Why are so many of us so afraid of AI? Psychologists have recently begun to explore the factors that shape our attitudes towards the automation of previously human functions, uncovering individual and cultural differences in how we feel about these new developments.