The survey, conducted by Pew Research Center, indicates that 51 percent of US adults are chatbot refuseniks, making users a slim minority. Older adults are the least likely to engage with the technology: roughly three-quarters of those aged 65 and older never use chatbots, and 58 percent of those aged 50 to 64 also abstain. Even among the most enthusiastic age group, 18 to 29 year olds, a third never use them. About four in ten adults under 50 report no chatbot usage.
When asked why they avoid chatbots, six in ten non-users cited simple lack of interest as a major factor. Concerns about data privacy and the accuracy of chatbot answers were the next most common reasons. Notably, fewer than a third said not knowing how to use them was a major deterrent, and fewer than one in five cited social stigma. The survey also found that non-users are more likely to be white, black or Hispanic than Asian.
Looking ahead, two-thirds of non-users (67 percent) say they are unlikely to use chatbots in the next 12 months, including 40 percent who say they are not at all likely to change their mind. Only 5 percent of non-users indicated they would probably try a chatbot within the year. The report suggests that past incidents, such as Microsoft's notorious racist chatbot Tay from a decade ago, or more recent examples like the Trump administration's America.gov service responding with a hotdog emoji to certain prompts, may have contributed to the reluctance.