Chatbot Refuseniks Outnumber Users in the US, Pew Survey Finds

Survey Finds Non-Users Outnumber Users

About half of US adults never use AI chatbots and most have no interest in starting, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center. Across all adults, 51 percent are so-called chatbot refuseniks, meaning users of the tools are just barely the minority.

Lack of Interest, Not Know-How, Cited Most

Pew asked non-users to choose from five possible reasons for avoiding chatbots. Six in ten cited a simple lack of interest as a major factor, followed by concerns about data privacy and the accuracy of chatbot answers. Fewer than a third said not knowing how to use the tools was a major reason, undercutting the assumption that older users avoid chatbots because they lack technical skills. Fewer than one in five worried about what others might think of them for using the technology, so social stigma is not a significant deterrent either.

Adoption Varies by Age and Ethnicity

Older adults are the least likely to use chatbots, with roughly three-quarters of those aged 65 and older saying they never use them. More than half, 58 percent, of adults aged 50 to 64 do not use them either. Adults aged 18 to 29 use chatbots the most, at 66 percent, yet even among this group about a third say they never do. About four in ten adults under 50 report not using them at all. Adoption also differs by race and ethnicity: non-users are more likely to be white, Black or Hispanic than Asian, according to the survey.

Few Non-Users Expect to Change Their Minds

The chatbot abstainers do not look ready to budge. Two-thirds, 67 percent, say they are unlikely to use the technology in the next 12 months, including 40 percent who say they are not at all likely to change their mind. Another 12 percent are unsure, and just 5 percent of non-users think they will probably try a chatbot over the next year. Perhaps some abstainers were put off by bad experiences, such as Microsoft's notorious racist chatbot Tay a decade ago, or the Trump administration's official America.gov service, which at the time of writing still displays a hotdog if that word is typed into the prompt.

Sources: Theregister