Attitudes towards artifi cial intelligence, anxiety and openness to experience

Abstract

Introduction. Information technology (IT) and artificial intelligence (AI) have become an integral part of our daily reality. However, psychological studies of the interaction between humans and computer systems remain very one-sided, covering mainly the “problem” side – threats, addictions, destruction of natural communication. The interaction of people with IT will continue developing, and the demand for information about the contact of the mind with technology will increase as this contact becomes more complicated. Theoretical analysis. Based on the image of AI in mind of young people as 'the most useful and the most dangerous', we set the goal to study whether there are links between subjectively perceived danger from AI, personal anxiety and openness to experience. Empirical analysis. The hypothesis was tested using a quasi-experiment. Data collected using author's questionnaire and two psychological scales. The sample was 83 students. As a result, we obtained a positive weak significant relationship between subjectively perceived danger from IT and general anxiety (r = 0.32, p less than 0.005). To show no relationship between subjectively perceived danger and openness to experience (r = 0.22, p less than 0.25). Conclusion. The results suggest that anxiety about AI threats is more common in people with high overall anxiety, but not with low openness to experience.

Keywords

• anxiety
• openness to experience
• artificial intelligence
• information technology
• subjective perception