US households lead in gen AI adoption, Italians show more confidence
A new Bank for International Settlements (BIS) paper compares generative AI adoption and trust among households in Italy and the United States. It finds higher usage in the US, while Italians express greater confidence in the technology's potential benefits.
Demographic divide in AI adoption
The study, based on 2024 surveys, reveals a significant disparity in generative AI adoption between the United States and Italy.
US households demonstrate higher usage rates, a gap primarily attributed to sociodemographic factors.
Specifically, the US population has a larger proportion of young adults and college graduates, which are key drivers of gen AI adoption.
The research separates the influence of age, gender, education, and employment status from other potential factors like cultural attitudes, providing a clearer understanding of the underlying causes for the observed differences in technology uptake.
Confidence versus caution
Despite lower overall usage, Italian households exhibit greater confidence in generative AI's capacity to enhance their well-being and financial prospects.
Both Italian and US users generally show less trust in gen AI tools compared to human-operated services.
However, a notable difference emerges in institutional trust: Italians report a higher relative trust in government and other institutions regarding the handling of personal data when interacting with these AI tools.
This suggests varying cultural or societal attitudes towards data governance and technology oversight.