Over the past year, Barna has been partnering with Gloo to monitor the perceptions of artificial intelligence (AI) among U.S. adults and how this technology might affect Christian life and practice and the local church.

With each survey, we’ve learned increasingly more about how U.S. adults think about and use AI, including insights specifically surrounding the ethics of AI, generational differences, concerns among parents and perceptions among Christians and pastors.

One common theme in this research is the general misunderstanding—or perhaps lack of understanding—people have regarding what constitutes AI. For example, over two in five U.S. adults say they regularly use technology like smart home devices (45%), in-device assistants like Siri (42%) and facial recognition (40%)—all of which utilize AI. Yet when asked, “How often are you using AI in your personal life?” most U.S. adults say not very much (30%) or not at all (27%).

In Barna’s work, we know that how we ask questions and the words we use influence how respondents answer questions. So, we tested this in the latest round of research for the Faith & AI project. We measured perceptions of AI before and after a brief explanation of what AI is. 

How did Barna explain AI? Here’s a summary of what was shared: Artificial Intelligence—also known as AI—is technology that makes machines capable of doing tasks that typically require human intelligence. This includes things like understanding language, recognizing patterns and making decisions. (For the full explanation that was shared with survey respondents, check out our About the Research section at the end of the article.)

Here’s what we found:

Before reading Barna’s explanation of AI, over half of survey respondents (51%) describe AI as “concerning.” After the explanation, this number reduces to 42 percent. Similarly, we see decreases in the number of people who say AI is scary, untrustworthy and disconnecting people (and other negative perceptions), as well as increases in the number of people who say AI is constructive, encouraging and good for people (and other positive perceptions).

Additionally, U.S. adults are more likely to strongly agree they understand AI when we use the term “artificial intelligence,” rather than the abbreviated “AI”—a 7-percentage point difference (31% strongly agreeing they “understand what AI is” vs. 38% strongly agreeing they “understand what artificial intelligence is”). While this isn’t a drastic difference, it does suggest that avoiding even seemingly common shorthand when talking about AI might boost understanding.

When discussing artificial intelligence and its potential impact on you, your loved ones, your church or those you serve, choose your words carefully. Seek explanations and offer clarity as you are able. The language we use has the potential to shape understanding of AI and its implications.

AI is more integrated into our lives than people often realize, and increasing awareness about its presence and functions can help us better understand and manage its impact. 

While there are many benefits to AI, there is room for caution in how this technology is being adopted in certain contexts. Yet for many U.S. adults, there may also be unwarranted fear surrounding a term and technology that most don’t understand they are already using. Small efforts at explaining and providing practical examples of AI usage may go a long way toward encouraging appropriate adoption.