Chatbot refuseniks edge out users in the US, and they’re not for turning

In the United States, approximately half of the adult population remains uninterested in using chatbot AI tools, with the majority expressing no desire to engage with them in the future. Older adults, specifically those aged 65 and older, are the least likely to utilize chatbots, with around three-quarters of this demographic stating they never use them.

Even among adults aged 50 to 64, more than half do not use chatbots. However, users are largely concentrated in the younger age group, with 66 percent of those aged 18 to 29 utilizing these tools.

According to a Pew Research Center survey, the primary reason for not using chatbots is the simple lack of interest, cited by six in ten non-users. Data privacy and the accuracy of chatbot responses are also significant concerns for those who do not use the technology. Despite assumptions that older individuals avoid chatbots due to a lack of tech-savviness, only a third of non-users reported this as a major reason.

Social stigma, or the perception of others disapproving of their use, was also found to be a minor deterrent, with fewer than one in five non-users citing this concern.

Adoption of chatbots varies by race and ethnicity, with non-users being more likely to be white, black, or Hispanic compared to Asian individuals. The majority of non-users, 67 percent, indicate they are unlikely to use chatbots in the next year, with 40 percent stating they are not at all likely to change their stance. A smaller percentage, 12 percent, are uncertain about their future use of chatbots.

The reasons behind this reluctance may stem from negative experiences, such as Microsoft's controversial racist chatbot Tay from a decade ago, or more recent incidents, such as the America.gov service displaying a hotdog for certain prompts.