The majority of Americans are concerned that artificial intelligence will be used to spread falsehoods during the next presidential election, according to a recent Northeastern University survey.
The survey was conducted by Northeastern’s new AI Literacy Lab to gauge the general public’s perceptions on AI. It found that 83% of respondents are worried about the proliferation of AI-generated misinformation during the 2024 presidential campaign.
One thousand American adults 18 and older were polled from Aug. 15 to Aug. 29. The lab released the findings as part of its official launch during the Institute for Experiential AI’s business conference last month.
The survey is the first project to come out of the lab, which plans to work collaboratively with computer scientists, journalists and other media professionals to help them understand and use artificial intelligence.
“What we’re doing is trying to be a bridge between the scientific community and mass media,” says John Wihbey, an assistant professor of journalism and media innovation at Northeastern.
Wihbey is a co-chair of the lab with Rupal Patel, a professor in the Khoury College of Computer Sciences and Bouve College of Health Sciences.
The survey is step one and will help inform the AI Literacy Lab as it hosts workshops and stakeholders meetings, Wihbey says.
“Really the goal of this particular survey was to look at the ways in which people are informing themselves about this emerging technology and to begin to look at areas where the public feels trepidation, anxiety or optimism,” Wihbey says.
