Jaw-dropping number of young people now using AI to help with schoolwork or job

25 November 2023 , 14:01

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Young people are using AI chatbots such as ChatGPT to help assist them with schoolwork or their job, new research suggests (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

More than half of young people in the UK have relied on using an AI chatbot such as ChatGPT over the last 12 months to help assist them with emails, schoolwork or their job, new research suggests.

Nominet’s latest annual Digital Youth Index - which examines the habits and attitudes of young people - suggests that while most young people (94%) feel safe online, 76% said they had been exposed to an upsetting experience. It equates to a 7% rise on 2022 with young people reporting an increase in exposure to fake news and hate speech, both up 4%, as well as sexual content, up by 6%.

A survey of 4,000 people aged between eight and 25 in the UK shows young people claimed to spend an average of between four and five hours a day online (Photothek via Getty Images)

The study, conducted by Opinium, surveyed 4,000 people aged between eight and 25 in the UK, shows young people claimed to spend an average of between four and five hours a day online – mostly on social media, chatting with friends or accessing entertainment. Around 95% of those questioned said they were on at least one social network, including children who are under the age limit for some of those services.

According to the study, X, formerly known as Twitter, was identified as the platform where the most respondents (77%) had seen distressing content. On AI, the study showed that 53% of those asked said they had used an AI chatbot and were curious about how they could use them in their lives, while 54% said they were concerned about the impact AI could have on jobs in the future.

Over half of respondents said they were concerned about the impact AI could have on jobs in the future (AFP via Getty Images)

Paul Fletcher, chief executive of Nominet, said: “While society at large grapples with artificial intelligence at all levels, it’s encouraging to see young people embracing technology so quickly and using it in their daily lives. We must continue to encourage this inquisitive nature from the next generation – and despite their adoption of AI, many still have concerns about the potential impact on their future.

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"When it comes to online safety, it looks like young Brits are growing in confidence, but the rise in exposure to upsetting content highlights that tackling online harm remains important to young people.” The study also indicated that 14% of young people lack access to a laptop or desktop computer, while 15% did not have broadband access at home.

Meanwhile, 11% said they had to change or cancel their internet package this year as a direct result of the cost-of-living crisis. “Our data shows us the reality that despite young people’s lives and their education system going online, a concerning 14% of two million of them still don’t have access to a laptop or desktop computer, and this has the potential to significantly disadvantage those that would benefit the most,” Mr Fletcher said.

Joseph Gamp