Generative AI Used By Three-Quarters Of Young Brits, Ofcom Says

Max Goldbart

27 November 2023 at 7:01 pm·2-min read

Around three-quarters of young Brits have now used a generative AI tool, according to Ofcom.

The regulator’s annual Online Nations report found that 74% of online 16-24 year olds had given the likes of Open AI’s ChatGPT, Snapchat My AI or Google’s Bard a spin.

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The figure is even higher for teenagers, with four-fifths having used generative AI tools and services. For all adults, just under one-third have used these tools.

Popular reasons cited for using the likes of ChatGPT, which have risen to the fore and dominated the discourse over the past year, included “wanting to chat or explore the technology,” using them for fun or helping with studies.

UK internet users were also conscious of the dangers of AI, with 58% concerned about its future impact on society. Ofcom said some tech firms are developing tools that will fall within the scope of its new Online Safety Laws, “so we’ll be looking at how these companies are proactively assessing the safety risks of their products and implementing effective mitigations to protect users from potential harms.”

AI has been a major topic of discussion in the TV and film industry over the past year and the issue was a key sticking point in the writers and actors strike negotiations.

“Getting rapidly up to speed with new technology comes as second nature to Gen Z, and Generative AI is no exception,” said Ofcom Group Director, Strategy and Research, Yih-Choung Teh. “While children and teens are driving its early adoption, we’re also seeing older internet users exploring its capabilities, both for work and for leisure.”

Open AI’s ChatGPT was comfortably the nation’s most-used tool, attracting 3.4 million UK adults at its peak, with the research coming after the firm was rocked by the ejection and then swift reinstatement of its founder and AI expert Sam Altman. ChatGPT was followed by Snapchat My AI and then Bing Chat, with Google’s Bard a little way behind, according to Ofcom’s ranking.

Ofcom’s research also found that YouTube was visited more than Facebook by UK adults last year, knocking Mark Zuckerberg’s platform off the top spot.

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