Although around a third of the population is generally positive about AI, one in five people express a clear rejection of it.
The construction site of the Google data center in Kronstorf (front) taken on Thursday, April 23, 2026 (aerial view). HELMUT FOHRINGER / APA
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Artificial intelligence is widely used in this country: 83 percent of the approximately 1,000 respondents to a market agent study stated that they actively use it, and one in two even use it at least once a week. ChatGPT and Co. are particularly used for quick research and information gathering (62 percent). Young people in particular are increasingly using them to create, revise or summarize texts, it was said on Tuesday.
Nevertheless, the attitude towards artificial intelligence remains ambivalent: although around a third of the population is generally positive about AI (Generation Z: 49 percent), one in five people express a clear rejection (20 percent).
The presence of AI-generated content is also increasing: almost six out of ten respondents say they encounter it regularly – but this does not automatically lead to more acceptance. Four out of ten rate the increasing mass of AI-generated images, texts, etc. as negative and one in two are reluctant to consume such content. The perceived quality also falls short of expectations and is only rated as mediocre on average.
Only around a quarter of the population feels confident in reliably recognizing AI-generated content. Users pay particular attention to elements that appear unnatural (49 percent) or inconsistencies in content (43 percent). 35 percent become suspicious if the content is too smooth or perfect. An overwhelming majority of 85 percent are in favor of mandatory naming of AI-generated content.
The impact of AI is particularly noticeable on social media. One in three people are already reporting a change in usage behavior: trust is falling (54 percent), content is being questioned more critically (47 percent) and a third are even consciously reducing their own social media consumption.
In addition to the declining quality of online content (46 percent), people in Austria particularly fear targeted manipulation (45 percent) and the spread of disinformation (44 percent) through “AI garbage”. Three quarters assume that this development will continue to increase in the future. (APA)
