New data has revealed which countries are the largest users of ChatGPT, with countries that have large IT industries leading the way.
ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence chatbot managed by OpenAI, has rapidly become one of the defining products of the AI industry, and has spread across the globe.
But despite ChatGPT being created and housed in California, the U.S. is far from the most prolific user of the service, according to data gathered by the Boston Consulting Group.
The survey, designed to identify how the public engage with artificial intelligence, asked respondents across the world if they used ChatGPT, ordering them by the proportion of positive answers.
The data revealed that India was the largest user of ChatGPT, with 45 percent of respondents saying that they used the artificial intelligence service.
Morocco was second on the list, with 38 percent of respondents giving the same answer. The United Arab Emirates ranked third, with 34 percent.
Indonesia and Argentina ranked joint fourth, with 32 percent, while South Africa followed up with 31 percent, meaning that no western countries were among the highest users in the survey.
Despite its home in Silicon Valley, ChatGPT was used at lower levels in the U.S., with 22 percent of respondents saying they used it. Similar usage was reported in other western nations, like Australia, also on 22 percent, and the U.K., where 21 percent of respondents said they used ChatGPT.
The countries with the highest usage rates of ChatGPT all have significant IT industries, especially India, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, and China.
Additionally, India, China, and Indonesia are some of the largest population centers in the world, meaning this survey accounts for over half the global population. Both India and China, which reported an 18 percent usage of ChatGPT, have populations of over 1 billion.
The survey also found that 75 percent of respondents have used ChatGPT or another AI-driven tool at least once, and that the public is more optimistic about AI being used in the workplace than it is about AI being used in other parts of life.
43 percent of respondents expressed excitement at using AIs like ChatGPT in “lifestyle” areas and, while 29 percent expressed concern. Excitement about artificial intelligence in the workplace was higher at 70 percent, with 15 percent expressing concern.
Aparna Bharadwaj, global leader of BCG’s Global Advantage practice, told Newsweek that many businesses underestimate the public’s awareness of advances in AI, saying: “Many business leaders that I’ve spoken with assume that their technological changes are invisible to consumers. But the opposite is true when it comes to [generative AI] in particular.
“Further, consumer understanding is pretty nuanced on this technology – they have positive as well as negative views. Consumers see the possibilities to make work more efficient, but also worry about privacy issues for instance.
“This research is critical as it underlines that business leaders need to factor in consumer views front and center when deploying AI and GenAI at scale – everywhere around the globe.
“Usually, business leaders tend to deploy technology based on cost and effectiveness considerations – but for AI/GenAI, they also need to consider the consumer.”
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