While South Africans have embraced artificial intelligence (AI), they also fear the perils of this widely used tool.
A recent survey by online research company infoQuest, assessed awareness, usage of and attitudes towards AI among 300 consumers.
The largest portion, at 39%, consider themselves “very familiar” with AI. Following that, 30% are “exceptionally familiar”.
When combined, these two categories account for nearly 70% of the respondents ― indicating AI is not a niche concept, but rather a widely understood topic.
The results also show a widespread use, with 90% using AI tools.
In terms of the most popular AI platforms:
• ChatGPT is by far the most widely used tool, with an 88% usage rate. This reflects its status as a market leader and its high public profile.
• Meta AI and Gemini follow with significant usage rates of 79% and 51%, respectively.
• Other tools including Microsoft Copilot, Grammarly and Deepseek show moderate usage, indicating a diverse ecosystem of AI applications.
The survey also found that AI tools are used frequently in both work and personal contexts. Fifty-six percent and 53% respectively use AI at least once a day for personal and work-related tasks.
Respondents were generally optimistic about the societal and personal benefits of AI, but remain concerned about its potential risks, such as job elimination, bias and the spread of misinformation.
About 76% agree that ‘AI will make my daily life easier; more convenient’ and 58% believe ‘AI will have a positive impact on society’.
This, according to the survey, suggests a widespread belief that AI is a beneficial and progressive force.
But there is also a significant level of concern regarding the ethical and practical risks of AI, with 61% agreeing that ‘AI can be used to spread misinformation or fake content’, and 58% concerned about the use of their personal data.
Thirty-seven percent agree that ‘AI systems are more likely to be biased than humans’, with 35% remaining neutral on the topic.
The fear of AI’s negative impact on employment and human capability is evident, with 63% being worried about AI’s potential to ‘eliminate jobs’.
About 30% believe it will create more jobs than it eliminates. About 65% are concerned that people will ‘become less intelligent due to using AI’.
The survey also found that despite the positive attitudes toward AI’s convenience, there is a lack of trust when it comes to critical decisions.
About 38% say they would not trust AI to make important decisions in their personal life, and another 25% are neutral ― indicating widespread hesitation to delegate significant responsibilities to AI.
Consumers most value AI for its ability to streamline processes and make information more readily available, but have lower confidence in it being involved in high-risk tasks or improving healthcare.
Consumers’ primary concerns regarding AI are centred on its potential impact on human cognitive abilities, privacy and social skills. The top-ranked concern, held by 61% of respondents, is that ‘people will become less able to think for themselves’.
The survey showed that consumers are most comfortable with AI making decisions related to creative and less critical tasks.
Sixty percent are comfortable with AI making decisions about content creation, while only 24% are comfortable with medical diagnoses.
“This clearly indicates that AI is viewed as a tool for creative assistance and support, but significantly less so as a reliable substitute for human expertise in fields requiring critical judgment and personal responsibility,” the survey found.
The majority of users don’t consistently trust AI’s accuracy and reliability, with a combined 78% of respondents ‘sometimes’, ‘often’, or ‘always’ question the accuracy of AI.
“This shows that while people are widely using AI, they are not blindly accepting its output. Instead, a significant portion of users remain sceptical and actively verify the information provided by these tools.”
“In our modern world, AI is no longer a futuristic concept but a part of our everyday lives,” said Claire Heckrath, MD of infoQuest.
“The majority of consumers are open to paying for AI, with only 13% insisting on using only free options. This shows that people recognise the value of these tools, even if they’re not willing to spend heavily on them.”
Heckrath said while AI is widely embraced for content creation, a clear boundary remains when it comes to critical decisions.
“As the survey reveals, consumers are not yet ready to trust AI handle with medical diagnoses or financial planning.”
This is central to what Heckrath calls ‘The AI Paradox’ – “we crave AI’s power but fear its perils”.
“We value its convenience and potential to benefit society, yet remain wary of misinformation, job losses and the risk of over-reliance. Ultimately, we’re not using AI blindly. We’re embracing AI as a powerful assistant, but holding on to our human judgment,” said Heckrath.
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