Forrester continues to double down on its coverage of generative AI from every possible angle. Four months ago, I published a blog post citing that just 7% of online adults in the US had used ChatGPT at that point in time. But I also said, “As awareness grows, intent will follow.” Well, in Forrester’s June 2023 Consumer Pulse Survey, 22% of US online adults indicated that they’ve used generative AI. And as more people use generative AI, carelessness (whether ignorant or intentional) mounts.

Users Embrace Generative AI’s Benefits At The Expense Of Its Risks

In May, my colleague Steph Liu made a plea to stop putting consumer data into ChatGPT. Not only does it breach company policies, but it also risks violating privacy protections. Yet, over half (53%) of those who have used generative AI in the US said they are “fine” with using ChatGPT to analyze data from their company. Forty-five percent have no issues with prompting ChatGPT using their personal information. And less than half (43%) are concerned about violating copyright laws when using generative AI tools.

Generative AI Users Feel More Productive Yet Guilty

The lines between efficiency and cheating continue to blur in the era of generative AI. Nearly half of US generative AI users (49%) said that generative AI tools will make them more productive at their job. At the same time, 47% also feel like they’re cheating when they use generative AI tools. This isn’t surprising as “content summarization” ranked among the most useful applications of generative AI.

Despite Users’ Bullishness, Existential Concerns About Generative AI Remain

Although 53% of generative AI users in the US would like to see more of their favorite apps integrate generative AI features, 51% also believe generative AI tools pose a serious threat to society — that’s four points more than what non-generative AI users believe. And while 44% of generative AI users don’t mind if they’re reading an article from a reputable news source that’s been fully generated using AI, 76% of them indicate that any public content that’s created using AI should be visibly labeled as such.

Want more? Look out for a post from my colleague Audrey-Chee Read, where she’ll be announcing (spoiler alert) Forrester’s Generative AI Consumer Outlook.

Forrester clients: Let’s chat more about this data via a Forrester guidance session.