Dr Jessica Herrington features in a WIN News interview earlier this month to talk about the ‘AI Adoption in Australia’ report which surveyed Australians and interviewed organisations across sectors about Generative AI usage and adoption. Watch the WIN News coverage and the video transcript below.
The ‘AI Adoption in Australia’ report was written by Jessica Herrington, Nicholas Biddle, Safiya Okai-Ugbaje and Ellen O’Brien. Learn more about the project below.
Video transcript#
The next industrial revolution or a mind of its own?
Artificial Intelligence is evolving faster than the rules around it.
And ANU research shows Aussies have noticed.
Dr Jessica Herrington from ANU School of Cybernetics: “People are both excited and also skeptical of AI use in a very nuanced way.”
Researchers surveying more than 3,500 people, with almost half admitting to using Generative AI models like ChatGPT, Claude and Google Gemini to undertake complex tasks, handle big chunks of work or for creative activities.
Dr Jessica Herrington from ANU School of Cybernetics: “We found that usage depends on education levels, and demographics like where people live, and what sort of access they have to technology generally.”
But almost half of Aussies believe an independent watchdog should be established.
Public 1: “It’s developing quicker than anything can be regulated on it.”
Public 2: “The people who are creating it, don’t seem to be under any kind of control or regulation.”
Public 3: “Regulation tends to follow on behind so I’m sure it’ll be coming.”
While 8 in 10 are concerned about its impact on politics, including the spread of misinformation.
Public 2: “It’s both a blessing and a curse. I don’t think we know yet what it’s going to do to civilisation, human society.”
Public 4: “It does give misinformation. So it’s not fully 100% full-proof.”
Public 5: “The government needs to be really really careful about how they use and when they use it.”
But public opinion is expected to evolve alongside AI.
Dr Jessica Herrington from ANU School of Cybernetics: “It really depends, I think, on how the technology develops and the sorts of levels of trust and transparency that big tech companies are able to put into their product.”
Joanne Griffiths, WIN News.