But how do you really feel?
I have a lot of topics I want to look into when it comes to the amorphous idea of AI. One I'm probably not going to get to before I wrap up my MA program is the issue of public opinion, but it's going to be a continuing interest.
A number of people have written about the "mental models" that the public has (Ryan Calo is one). These are the images that mention of "AI" conjures up in people's minds. The visions are often shaped by movies, television, and books, and not so much by the flood of information coming out about the many exciting but more practical ways these computing advances can be used in daily life. (That's part of the reason I'm working on getting Everyday AI off the ground.)
A few info points jumped out at me recently as warranting deeper investigation when it comes to public opinion.
MIT Tech Review started tracking all of the estimates of job losses and creation from automation, and the numbers are all over the map (they vary by tens of millions of jobs).
Meanwhile, NPR/Maris recently came out with a poll in which 94% of full-time workers said it was not very likely/not likely at all that they'd lose their job due to automation. But a slightly older Pew poll indicated that 72% of people are worried about a future in which computers can do a lot of human jobs.
I'd love to have the time to dive into this more, statistically and anecdotally. It's common to see polls and stories in which people expect a certain thing to happen, but not to happen to them. But what factors are influencing these polling outcomes? Lack of exposure to these topics? Psychological factors? Socioeconomics? Type of information consumed about the topics?
If you have any stories to share or you're aware of anyone that has done good digging into the factors that influence opinion on automation or AI in general, I'd appreciate tips!