Artificial intelligence, or AI, is no longer just a technology for finding information or assisting with work. A large portion of the younger generation is using AI as a friend. They are even talking to AI about personal and emotional matters. This information has emerged from a study conducted by cybersecurity company Kaspersky.
A survey of 7,200 people from around the world analyzed Gen Z’s behavior when using AI. According to the study, 27 percent of Gen Z talk to AI as if they were talking to a friend.
28 percent of Gen Zers consult AI on personal matters that they wouldn’t easily share with other people. This means that AI is now becoming more than just a source of information for many young people; it is also a means of personal conversation.
Gen Z also has a higher rate of AI use than other generations, with 47 percent of young people surveyed saying they use AI daily or regularly.
Young people are using AI for a variety of purposes. 56 percent of them are using it for information retrieval, 49 percent for learning, 47 percent for generating new ideas, and 39 percent for various tasks in the workplace.
However, despite the growing interest of young people in using AI, there is considerable lack of awareness about security among them. Only 42 percent of Gen-G users regularly take security measures. These include verifying information provided by AI from reliable sources and not sharing personal or confidential information with AI.
On the other hand, 52 percent of users sometimes take these security measures, while 6 percent do not take any security measures.
Experts warn that as conversations with AI become more personal, users need to be more cautious. Even if you talk about personal feelings with AI, it is not right to assume that it is a private or completely safe conversation.
“Gen-G is more aware than other generations of the changing trends in AI than any other generation. They are also creating new ways to use the technology in their daily lives. However, personal interactions with AI should not be considered completely confidential or trusted conversations,” said Vladislav Tushkanov, group manager at Kaspersky’s AI Technology Research Center.
The research shows that the role of AI in the lives of the new generation is rapidly changing. Where AI was previously seen primarily as a technological tool, many young people are now using it as a mentor, a source of information, and sometimes as a friend. As a result, it has become important to be aware of the security of personal information, fact-checking, and the limitations of the technology as well as the use of AI.
