Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer just a futuristic concept for Canadians; a significant 87% say they have tried Generative AI tools like ChatGPT for either business or personal tasks.
Despite the willingness to experiment, only a small percentage use AI regularly — 8% for personal use and 7% for professional use. The survey, from Dye & Durham’s Canadian Pulse Report, also reveals that 44% of respondents don’t anticipate AI affecting their jobs in the foreseeable future.
However, when it comes to skilled professionals like lawyers and doctors using AI in their practices, skepticism persists. According to a recent poll, 60% of Canadians are uncomfortable with lawyers or notaries using AI to deliver services, and that figure jumps to 63% when it comes to medical professionals.
David Nash, Chief Product Officer at Dye & Durham, suggests that this skepticism may be a hurdle to realizing the benefits AI can offer.
“While Canadians see the potential for AI to bring about cost, efficiency, and accuracy benefits, there’s a significant gap in understanding that needs to be bridged,” he said. “Legal professionals, especially, need to educate their clients about the advantages of using AI and how it’s being deployed to enhance services.”
The survey indicates that transparency and clear outcomes could alleviate some concerns. Twenty-seven percent of respondents said they would feel more at ease if professionals could guarantee better outcomes through AI use. Similarly, 26% would be more comfortable if AI reduced costs, and 25% would feel better if AI enhanced, rather than replaced, human performance.
Options to opt-in or opt-out of AI use in services (23%) and having the application of AI clearly explained in advance (19%) also emerged as factors that could increase public comfort with the technology.
As AI continues to permeate various sectors, the challenge for professionals lies in dispelling fears and clarifying the tangible benefits the technology can offer. With proper education and transparent practices, the gap between AI’s potential and public acceptance may begin to close.
Conducted quarterly, the Dye & Durham Canadian Pulse Report is designed to uncover trends and insights into Canadian sentiment surrounding three key areas: the economy, technology and the real estate market.
The findings of the report are the result of a survey conducted by Dye & Durham from August 16-18, 2023 among a nationally representative sample of n=1,001 Canadians who are members of the online Angus Reid Forum, balanced and weighted on age, gender, region and education. For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size has an estimated margin of error of +/- 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. The survey was offered in both English and French.
