Key findings
- A median of 34% of adults across 25 countries say they have heard or read a lot about artificial intelligence; 47% have heard a little about it and 14% have heard nothing at all.
- In all surveyed countries except India and Kenya, at least half of the public has heard at least a little about AI.
- Internet use is related to awareness of AI: People who say they are online almost constantly are more likely than others to have heard a lot about it.
- Young adults, men and people with more education are more likely than other groups to have heard a lot about AI.
The share of adults who have heard or read a lot about AI varies widely by country. Consider Europe: In France, 52% report a high level of awareness, compared with 30% in Spain.
Across all the countries included in the survey, as many as 53% in Japan to as few as 12% in Kenya have heard a lot about AI. Overall, though, most people in these countries have heard at least a little about the technology.
By country’s GDP per capita
People in wealthier countries tend to be more likely than those in less wealthy countries to have heard or read a lot about AI. At one end of this spectrum is the U.S., where GDP per capita is about $86,000 and 47% of adults have heard a lot about AI. By comparison, in Kenya, GDP per capita is about $2,200 and 12% of adults say they have heard a lot about AI.
By age
In most surveyed countries, adults under 35 are more likely than those ages 50 and older to have heard or read a lot about AI. For example, 77% of young Japanese adults have heard a lot about it, compared with 39% of their older counterparts. There are double-digit age differences across almost all of these countries.
By internet use
In every surveyed country, people who use the internet almost constantly are more likely those who use the internet less frequently to have heard a lot about AI.
For example, Polish adults who are online almost constantly are more than twice as likely as those who are online less often to have heard a lot about AI (68% vs. 26%).
By gender
In about half of the countries surveyed, men are more likely than women to have heard a lot about AI. One particularly large gender divide is in Hungary, where 49% of men and 27% of women report this level of awareness.
By education
Across most of the countries surveyed, people with more education are more likely than those with less education to say they have heard a lot about AI. (In some of these countries, people with less education were less likely to provide a response.)
