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Artificial intelligence

Most Americans are already using AI

March 7, 2018

Many people might not realize that they’re making use of machine learning, but apps like Google Maps and Spotify are full of it.

AI for everyone: According to Gallup, 85 percent of Americans use navigation apps, streaming services, or ride-sharing apps—all of which make healthy use of AI at this point.

The breakdown: The survey of 3,000 individuals suggests men and women are about equally likely to use AI-enhanced products. Millennials and younger folks use more of them than older people. And Democrats are way more likely to use streaming services and ride-sharing apps than Republicans.

Why it matters: The numbers suggest that people are already comfortable using AI. But what’s less clear is whether they know they are—and how unhappy they might be if the software that was, say, planning their journey couldn’t explain why it chose a particular route. As AI comes even more front-and-center in software, technologists and designers will have to grapple with that.

Deep Dive

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Illustration by Rose Wong

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