IU study: Most people use ChatGPT for fun or out of curiosity

• Two thirds of respondents are familiar with AI technologies such as ChatGPT or Google Bard.
• Around half of respondents from Generation Z and Y have already used ChatGPT or similar tools themselves; among 56- to 65-year-old workers, less than one in five have used it them themselves.
• A fifth of respondents do not know where and how they should access ChatGPT and similar tools. 
• Generations Z and Y in particular expect AI tools such as ChatGPT to have a very large to large impact on their private lives in five years' time. 
   

Erfurt, Germany, 13 December 2023. ChatGPT has been available since November 2022 and impresses with texts and solutions that could have come from humans. According to the study "ChatGPT & Co - personally used" by IU International University of Applied Sciences (IU), two thirds (66.9 per cent) of employees in Germany are familiar with AI bots such as ChatGPT or Google Bard.

Of those surveyed, 35.4 per cent have already used ChatGPT and Co themselves - albeit mostly for fun (54.4 per cent) or to pass the time or out of curiosity (51.3 per cent). ChatGPT or similar technologies are only used for work by just over a third (36.5 per cent).

While awareness of ChatGPT and similar AI technologies is generally high across all generations, there are major differences in terms of usage: almost two thirds of respondents from Generation Z (59.2 per cent) have already used ChatGPT and similar technologies themselves, compared to 17.0 per cent of 56- to 65-year-olds ("baby boomers"). 

It is also the up to 25-year-olds of Generation Z and the 26- to 40-year-olds of Generation Y who see the greatest influence of AI technologies among all generations in the medium term: 55.7 per cent of Generation Z respondents and 56.6 per cent of Generation Y respondents believe that ChatGPT and similar technologies will have a great to very great influence on their private lives in the next five years. Among baby boomers (aged 56 to 65), however, the figure is 34.8 per cent.

One fifth do not know how to access ChatGPT and Co

There are many reasons why employees in Germany do not yet use ChatGPT and other AI tools. It is striking that a fifth (20.0 per cent) of employees in Germany who have not yet used ChatGPT or other AI tools do not know where and how they can access them.

Almost as many (19.2 per cent) have concerns about data protection. Around half (51.3 and 49.3 per cent respectively) state that they do not need AI tools such as ChatGPT either privately or professionally. 13.8 per cent are of the opinion that AI is impersonal. One in ten respondents fear that the answers provided by AI are incorrect.

According to the IU study, the publication of ChatGPT has also led to an increased interest in AI degree programmes: 37.3 percent of respondents who are interested in studying or continuing their education agree somewhat to completely that they have become more interested in degree programmes involving artificial intelligence since the publication of ChatGPT.

"AI will become a key factor for innovation in many areas in the coming years. The opportunity to participate in the development and application of AI technologies is a strong attraction for prospective students. In addition, the demand for qualified professionals in this field is high and AI degree programmes therefore offer very good career opportunities. The presence of ChatGPT has given a small boost to interest in AI degree programmes - as the results of the study also show," says Prof. Dr Kamal Bhattacharya Professor of Computer Science and Pro-Rector, Research and Transfer at IU International University of Applied Sciences.

Since October 2023, IU has been offering elective courses in the field of AI in all degree programmes: In these elective courses, students are familiarised with AI prompting.

AI prompting is the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) by influencing AI models via text instructions. The user enters certain requests or instructions in natural language and the AI responds with generated text or information. This input is then interpreted by AI models such as ChatGPT, MidJourney or Google Bard to generate text, videos or images.

By offering elective courses in the field of AI prompting, IU is emphasising its focus on "future skills". In this way, IU ensures that students acquire key skills that will be in greater demand on the labour market in the future. One of these essential future skills is learning the ability to assess the use of AI methods and to use AI technologies efficiently for work tasks.

About the study

For the study "ChatGPT & Co - personally used" by IU International University of Applied Sciences (IU), 2,030 workers in Germany between the ages of 16 and 65 were surveyed, representative of the German labour market by age and gender. The survey period was 14 April to 24 April 2023.

The complete study is available for download here.