Artificial intelligence (AI) has ceased to be a promise to become an essential piece of the digital infrastructure of society and our daily activity. While its transformative capacity is already indisputable, the crucial question is not whether the future will change, but how it will direct it.
With the aim of analyzing this transformation, the Evercom Communication Agency and the University of Design, Innovation and Technology (UDIT) have presented the second edition of the ‘Feel IT: Horizon Ia’ report. In its pages it details how citizens and companies in Spain perceive and use AI, with special emphasis on the expectations, concerns and challenges that this technology poses.
“The elaboration of this report responds to a key need: to understand not only the level of integration of AI in our society, but also how people and companies interpret it and what they expect from it in the future,” says Ander Serrano, Responsible for Evercom innovation. “We know that this technology has an immense potential, but it is also a land that raises ethical, social and economic questions. It is essential to ensure that its advance is inclusive and beneficial for all,” he adds.
The study reveals that AI is part of the daily life of the majority of Spaniards: 29.1% use it daily and 54.4% occasionally. This high level of adoption reflects a generalized interest in its evolution: 91.3% of respondents declare to be curious about the development of AI, compared to a scarce 8.7% who claim not to be interested.
However, the enthusiasm for these resources is not yet exempt from reservations. Although 54.9% trust enough or totally in their integration into daily life, concerns persist around privacy and transparency. 66.3% of respondents claim stricter measures to protect personal data, and almost half, 49.4%, consider essentially identifying the contents generated with AI. In addition, 47.9% underlines the need to improve education and training on these tools, an indicator that knowledge about their applications is still limited.
The usual access to information about IA is concentrated on social networks, chosen by 44.1% of citizens as their main informative source, followed by blogs and online articles (41.4%) and traditional media (40,9 %). This highlights the importance of digital platforms in dissemination, although it also raises questions about the quality and reliability of the content shared in these channels.
“The key does not only reside in dominating AI’s tools, but in training people with criteria to interpret the advances that really generate value,” says David Alonso, director of the technology area and the master’s degree in UDIT’s artificial intelligence. “Educational environments that foster critical thinking and specialization will be essential for the professionals of the future not only to adapt to technology, but also contribute to align it with the needs and challenges of an evolving society,” he says.
In the business field, AI has become an essential tool for most organizations. Only 10% of Spanish companies do not currently use AI -based technologies, although of these, 60% have planned to incorporate them in the short term. Among the companies that have already adopted these resources, the most common uses are data analysis, process automation and virtual assistants.
The satisfaction regarding the use of these tools is overwhelming: 95% of companies positively value the results obtained, which has led to 76% of organizations to plan an increase in their investment in AI for the next year. Only 5.2% foresee it.
In addition, the impact of this technology on the labor market is undeniable. 96% of companies anticipate a significant effect in their sectors in the coming years and 40.6% already have specialists in their templates. This percentage will grow, since 51% of companies plan to incorporate new specialized profiles in this technology in the immediate future, which reflects a growing demand for qualified talent.
“Knowledge is perhaps the most valuable resource that companies count, and AI has the potential to multiply its impact and productivity on the professional market,” says Silvia Leal, expert in technology and new trends, OECD advisor and Senior Evercom Advisor. “However, this requires greater awareness in organizations, especially in aspects such as data protection and the responsible use of these tools. Collaboration between public and private entities, along with a massive educational effort, will be essential to close the gap among those who are already integrated in this paradigm and those who still perceive it as something alien. “
The data collected in the report states that artificial intelligence not only represents a technical, but also social and ethical challenge. As its integration progresses, it will be key to ensure that these tools promote progress in an inclusive way, reducing inequalities and promoting a balanced and sustainable transformation.
“We are in a decisive moment,” explains Ander Serrano. “The future of AI will depend on our ability to generate a plural and well -informed conversation, which allows all people and sectors to understand their scope and actively participate in their assimilation. The key will be to use communication as a tool to balance the potential Technological with human needs. “
Those responsible for the report indicate that beyond a descriptive analysis, this work is proposed as a starting point “for a constructive dialogue between citizenship and companies.” For them, “rather than choosing between technology and humanity, the challenge is to find its convergence, ensuring that the integration of AI serves as an engine of reflective, equitable and transformative progress.”
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