Nearly half of Americans (48%) believe the rise of AI has made it “harder to get scammed” than ever before, according to a new survey.
As AI makes its way into education, communications, and even science, it’s clear that this 21st century technological revolution has both good and bad sides. In a survey of 2,000 U.S. adults, only 18% felt “very confident” in their ability to spot fraud before they become a victim.
As America enters a new technological era, where AI continues to blur the line between reality and the artificial world, one in three people admit they have a hard time spotting a potential scam when the fraudster is trying to impersonate someone they know personally.
The possibility and likelihood of falling victim to a scam may be causing anxiety for many Americans, with fake news being created (68%), robocalls that mimic real voices (67%) and text messages being sent from familiar numbers (62%).
This is likely because 34% of respondents have been victims of some form of fraud over the years – for 22% of respondents, the incident occurred more than five years ago, prior to the recent explosion of artificial intelligence.
But for others, the pain is still raw: 40% said they’ve been affected within the past year, and 8% said it was as recently as the last month, according to the survey results.
The most common types of scams plaguing victims include fake sales and listings (29%), financial manipulation (29%) and email phishing (28%).
With so many different types of fraud, it’s no surprise that Americans want to see more enforcement in certain areas: When asked where they feel most need protection against fraud, respondents overwhelmingly chose financial transactions (49%), followed by email (15%) and online sales (14%).
The survey, conducted by Talker Research and commissioned by BOSS Revolution, also aimed to understand US adults’ sentiment towards artificial intelligence, and found that it’s not all doom and gloom.
Nearly four in ten respondents (38%) have a positive view of AI, and many of them are seeing the benefits of AI. While AI integration may not be as advanced as in the legal and medical fields, many are already using AI to answer common questions (64%), handle tasks they would rather not do themselves (43%), and translate languages (42%).
Of the 31% who tend to have a negative view of AI, concerns about privacy and data (67%), fears that AI will get out of control (65%) and concerns about fraud (61%) are what keep people wary of the Terminator.
Still, 38% of respondents admit they are likely to use AI for everyday tasks such as translating languages (48%), composing texts or emails (48%) and choosing cooking recipes (41%).
Additionally, 21% of people believe they interact with artificial intelligence every day, whether planned or not, and a further 31% say they do so several times a week.
Still, 80% of respondents believe that the use of AI should be more tightly regulated, due to rampant fraud and deception.
“As AI technology advances, so do the scammers using it, so it’s important that consumers remain vigilant,” said Jessica Poveren, executive vice president of marketing at BOSS Revolution. “We advise users to verify the identity of all parties involved in a transaction, never rush into a transaction under pressure, and always verify the contact information provided by the requester. If in doubt, we also advise users to call the requester using a trusted number to verify their identity.”
Money matters. It’s a common and essential part of any household and a frequent source of stress. More than two-thirds of Americans (69%) believe artificial intelligence will have a very big impact on financial fraud.
Going a step further, only 25% believe that artificial intelligence could have a positive impact on their financial security.
Their concerns may be justified, as the average respondent sends money to others or uses money transfer services about twice a month, further increasing their exposure to fraud and fraudulent activity.
They do so because it’s convenient (50%), because it’s easy (32%), or because the person they’re paying lives far away (16%). Only 14% of respondents said they use the service because it’s safer.
“Protecting users from fraud is a top priority for modern businesses that care about their user well-being, especially in an evolving environment of AI-enabled fraud,” said Jessica Poveren, executive VP of marketing at BOSS Revolution. “Employing advanced algorithms and rigorous verification processes, including AI anomaly detection, real-time monitoring and multi-layered authentication, to detect and prevent fraudulent activity and ensure transactions are safe is critical.”
How do people in the U.S. interact with artificial intelligence on a daily basis?
● Through company chat/messaging services – 44%
● Social media – 37%
● By phone – 31%
● Text messaging – 31%
● Email – 26%
● Via Home Assistant speaker – 25%
Research Methodology:
The random, double opt-in survey was commissioned by BOSS Revolution and conducted among 2,000 general American respondents between June 5th and June 10th, 2024. The survey was conducted by Talker Research, a market research firm with team members who are members of the Market Research Society (MRS) and the European Society for Public Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).
