Deep Insights into AI perception in Croatia

Interdisciplinary Description of Complex Systems 23(1), 1-28, 2025 DEEP INSIGHTS INTO AI PERCEPTION IN CROATIA Robert Kopal1, *, Darija Korkut1 and Krešimir Žnidar2 1 Effectus University of Applied Sciences Zagreb, Croatia 1 2 Algebra Bernays University Zagreb, Croatia 2 DOI: 10.7906/indecs.23.1.1 Regular article Received: 31 May 2024. Accepted: 5 October 2024. ABSTRACT Artificial intelligence (AI) is not a new concept, but its wide recognition within the general population has started only recently, with publication of Open AI LLM platform ChatGPT, and has ever since intrigued public in terms of its influence on human life in general, and primarily its repercussions on labour market and the future of jobs. Fully aware of its capabilities and huge impact on everyday life, and despite of AI infodemic, we notice an imbalanced approach in public space favouring only the positive aspects of the use of AI. AI will definitely mark our future, and its responsible development and use can contribute significantly to the advancement of many areas of life. However, irresponsible development and use can cause unfathomable damage to humanity. The risks it can impose in terms of biased and untransparent algorithms, privacy violation concerns, cybersecurity issues, disinformation and deep fakes creation and dissemination, to name just a few. The aim of the article is to provide a balanced view of both advantages and disadvantages of the use of AI, particularly in the light of the super-election 2024 and the accompanying risks in the form of information disorders and consequences they might have on world democracy and stability. Furthermore, the aim of this national research is to provide a deeper insight into the perception of AI within the Croatian population. Scientific and professional methodology was used to define and monitor key indicators of AI perception and search for corresponding correlations. KEY WORDS artificial intelligence, AI perception, AI legislative, society, technology CLASSIFICATION ACM: K.4.2, I.2.0, I.2.1 APA: 4120 JEL: O33 *Corresponding author, : ; +385 (1) 611 77 77; *Trg J. F. Kennedyja 2, HR – 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia R. Kopal, D. Korkut and K. Žnidar INTRODUCTION The recent rise of popularity of artificial intelligence (AI) is the result of huge advances in development of LLM models. Although AI is the term from the 50s, coined by Stanford Professor John McCarthy, along with the development of the supporting technology its definition has experienced many transformations since McCarthy’s “the science and engineering of making intelligent machines”. It has evolved into most recent definition by the EU updated in May 2024 for the purposes of the Regulation as follows: “AI system’ means a machine-based system that is designed to operate with varying levels of autonomy and that may exhibit adaptiveness after deployment, and that, for explicit or implicit objectives, infers, from the input it receives, how to generate outputs such as predictions, content, recommendations, or decisions that can influence physical or virtual environments” [1]1. Following the attention Open AI’s ChatGPT received at the launch of its 3.0 version in the beginning of 2022, its enhanced visibility led to prolific research in both, professional and scientific directions, and stimulated myriad of debates among academics, policymakers, and developers. Vibrant discussions in the field also preceded the passing of the EU AI Act [1]. The current research concerning AI in general and its understanding and acceptance by professional and general public is still scarce globally, and especially in Croatia. While scholars and experts struggle with theoretical, practical, and regulatory issues regarding AI, laypeople find these concepts even more difficult to comprehend, and, consequently, use in everyday activities. It is this lack of professional and scientific insights into perception of AI that motivated this research – the first national research on AI perception in Croatia. The aim of this research is to provide a deeper insight into the perception of AI within the Croatian population. Scientific and professional methodology was used to define and monitor key indicators of AI perception and search for corresponding correlations. Topics covered by the research are exposure to information about AI, AI viewpoints, AI influence on society and individuals, and trust in AI. Recent similar research can be found in Nussberger, AM. et al [2], KPMG and University of Queensland sponsored global study on Trust in Artificial Intelligence [3], Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation (CDEI) [4-6], and 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer [7], which states that 30% of respondents embrace AI globally, 35% reject it, while trust in technology companies is at 76%. As AI industry is susceptible to rapid technological obsolescence, similar challenges arise with the corresponding topics, including AI adoption and perception. Therefore, we will present here some of the most recent global research in the area of AI implementation, acceptance and trust, whose insights can be compared to ours, downsized to Croatia. Some key findings from recent Stanford University AI Index Report 2024 [8] include the following insights: • AI beats humans on some tasks, but not on all. • Industry continues to dominate frontier AI research (51 vs 15). • Frontier models get way more expensive. • The United States leads China, the EU, and the U.K. as the leading source of top AI models (61 US vs 21 EU vs 15 China). • Robust and standardized evaluations for LLM responsibility are seriously lacking. • Generative AI investment skyrockets (despite a decline in overall AI private investment). • The data is in – AI makes workers more productive and leads to higher quality work. • Scientific progress accelerates even further, thanks to AI. 2 Deep insights into AI perception in Croatia • • The number of AI regulations in the United States sharply increases. People across the globe are more cognizant of AI’s potential impact – and more nervous. Microsoft and LinkedIn conducted their own research on work trends. The key findings from their 2024 Work Trend Index Annual Report [9] include the following numbers: • 75% of knowledge workers use AI at work today, and 46% of users started using it less than six months ago. Users say AI helps them save time (90%), focus on their most important work (85%), be more creative (84%), and enjoy their work more (83%). • 78% of AI users are bringing their own AI tools to work (BYOAI) – it is even more common at small and medium-sized companies (80%). • 66% of leaders say they would not hire someone without AI skills. • 71% say they would rather hire a less experienced candidate with AI skills than a more experienced candidate without them. • Professionals are not waiting for official guidance or training – they are skilling up. 76% say they need AI skills to remain competitive in the job market. 69% of (...truncated)