In the past several months, ChatGPT seems to have become a household word. Is there anyone who doesn’t know or use ChatGPT? I can’t think of a business that hasn’t used it in some form or fashion. I couldn’t imagine that an intelligent person wouldn’t know about it. But apparently, I was wrong.
I meet with a group of seven business owners every month and we discuss and support each other’s businesses. Last month we had a discussion about ChatGPT. It turns out that two of these very successful entrepreneurs had never experienced ChatGPT. I quickly pulled out my computer and did a short demo, showing them some of its very basic capabilities. They were stunned into complete silence.
That made me wonder how many people are unfamiliar with ChatGPT. While it’s only been available since November 2022, there are more than 200 million people using this incredibly powerful technology. That’s 200 million users, not just people who have heard of it. So how many people are as unfamiliar with the technology as my fellow entrepreneurs were?
I had an opportunity to collaborate on a survey with Human8, a human-centered consultancy that connects brands with people and culture to drive positive change. We wanted to know how familiar people were, in general, with ChatGPT. So we asked a sample of more than 800 Americans, weighted to the U.S. census for age and gender, the following question:
What is your familiarity with ChatGPT?
The choice of answers and results are as follows:
· I’ve never heard of it: 18%
· I’ve heard of it but never used it: 41%
· I’ve used it for personal research: 18%
· I’ve used it for work: 10%
· I’ve used it for both personal research and work: 13%
It probably won’t surprise you that the younger generations are more familiar with ChatGPT than older generations. Gen-Z (ages 18-24) is most familiar compared to the other generations. Consider that even though they haven’t grown up using ChatGPT (it’s just nine months old), they have grown up only knowing a life with mobile phones and high-speed computers. Specifically, almost half of Gen-Z (48%) has used it for both personal research and work.
On the other end of the spectrum are the two older generations, Gen-X (ages 42-57) and Baby Boomers (ages 58-75). Collectively, they represent almost half (46%) of the U.S. population. I found their results interesting, if not surprising.
Gen-X is the generation that is least familiar with ChatGPT. Eighty percent of Gen-X has either never heard of or heard of it but never used it, compared to 64% of Boomers. But these findings are even more telling:
· 28% of Gen-X have never heard of ChatGPT.
· 32% of Baby Boomers have never heard of ChatGPT.
· Out of the 18% from all generations that have never heard of ChatGPT, Gen-X and Boomers represent 78% of them.
Here’s my take. I think most people who say they are unfamiliar with ChatGPT don’t realize that they have probably used it in some form or fashion. They just don’t know it. They’ve most likely been on a company’s website and texted back and forth with a chatbot, not realizing that the chatbot was being powered by generative AI, the backbone of ChatGPT.
And just as there are generational differences in almost every part of life, from fashion to work-life balance and everything in between, it shouldn’t be a surprise that there are differences in the use and understanding of this life-changing technology.
Many years ago, I remember buying my first iPhone. The learning curve, at least for me, was a big one. How could this small device do so much? I called customer support for help, and the rep immediately recognized my frustration and said, “By the time we get off this call, I want you to love your phone so much that you would be willing to jump in front of a moving bus to save it.” An hour later, I was convinced.
In a world that is changing faster than ever, especially the digital world, our understanding—or lack thereof—of emerging technologies can have a big impact on who we are, how we work and how we live. The unfamiliarity with ChatGPT among various generations isn’t just a bunch of statistics. It’s a reflection of how we engage with innovation and adapt to change in an increasingly digital and automated world.
If Human8 and I collaborated on another survey three months from now, the numbers would undoubtedly change. It’s just a matter of time—most likely a short amount of time—before most everyone will know about ChatGPT and understand how to use it. Sooner than later, just as personal computers, mobile phones, Facebook and Google searches have, ChatGPT will become woven into the fabric of our everyday lives.
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