9 in 10 Generative AI users have concerns over bias, report warns

• Despite concerns Applause global survey reveals that 79% of respondents actively use generative AI services

• 59% of workplaces also sanction the use of generative AI

• ChatGPT is the most popular service among users surveyed

Nine in 10 Generative AI users have bias concerns and 67% believe it infringes on data privacy, according to a report from testing and digital quality solutions provider Applause. 

Applause, a provider of testing and digital quality solutions released the results of its latest Generative AI Survey that revealed genuine user concerns about bias, data privacy, copyright issues, and hallucinations in content generated by AI services.

9 in 10 respondents expressed concern that bias may affect the accuracy, tone or relevance of the content produced. Nearly half (47%) said they have experienced responses or content they considered biased, while another 18% had experienced responses they considered to be offensive.

Data privacy was also revealed to be a major concern with more than two-thirds (69%) stating that it’s important to consider data privacy when developing new AI technologies. Less than 2% said data privacy was not an important consideration. Another 67% believe that most generative AI services currently infringe on data privacy in some way.

The study also revealed copyright infringement concerns. An overwhelming 91% expressed concerns that content produced using generative AI could be in breach of copyright or intellectual property protections. More than one third (37%) have also seen examples of ‘hallucinations’ in AI, which are defined as confident responses that do not seem to be justified by the training data they’re based on.

Yet, despite the numerous concerns, 79% of respondents said they are actively using a generative AI service. Interestingly, when asked which generative AI services they’re using, ChatGPT came out on top, followed by Bing in second place, Bard in third and GitHub Copilot in fourth. More than half (59%) said their workplaces support the use of generative AI services. However, 23% said there are restrictions in place for using the technology.

Conversely, the uptake is slightly lower in Europe where 72% of respondents in the region are actively using generative AI services. Less than half (48%) said their workplaces support the use of generative AI services, with up to a quarter (24%) stating their workplaces do not support the use of the technology at all. ChatGPT came out on top again but was found to be more popular outside of the region with 90% of global respondents claiming to use the service compared to 59% in Europe.

In a sign that generative AI is having a significant impact on chatbot results, this survey saw a 30% reduction in dissatisfaction with chatbots versus a previous survey in March of this year. Only 21% said they were either “somewhat” or “extremely dissatisfied” with their use of chatbots, down from 30% in March.

Says Rob Mason, CTO for Applause:

“As the survey demonstrates, generative AI services are becoming more widely used, including in the workplace. While the technology can be extremely helpful and is being used to complete a variety of tasks – from evaluating job applications to writing business contracts, or, even as one of our survey respondents replied, to write electronic dance music, it is important to recognize that the technology is still evolving.

“Biased, incorrect, and harmful content is a big hurdle to surmount. To improve AI, we need to invest in strategies – in regard to data collection, training, and testing – to identify bad content and take steps toward rectifying the issues. Testing outputs with real people provides the feedback needed to understand these subtleties.”