A potential gold mine and a possible cure for loneliness

SHANGHAI, May 31, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Nowadays, AIGC (Artificial Intelligence Generated Content) technology has gained popularity in the market and among the general public. The constant emergence of new AI products such as ChatGPT, Sora, and Suno have taken this wave of technological change to the next level, making a huge impact on everyone. As always, technology development is about unleashing creativity and AIGC is no exception.

AIGC is knocking on the door of a brave new world. How will this impact individuals in their professional and personal lives? What opportunities are available?

In an attempt to answer these questions, Just So Soul, the research arm of the social networking platform Soul App (approximately 80% of its monthly active users are Gen Z), surveyed Soul users about AIGC (approximately 80% of participants were Gen Z). . The survey received 3,457 correct answers, from which three most important conclusions were drawn:

Over 90% of young people have used AIGC products, with people born after 2000 having the greatest knowledge about AIGC

Based on White paper on AI-generated content published by the China Academy of Information and Communication Technology, AIGC is a form of content, a content creation approach, and a set of automated content generation technologies.

However, the Just So Soul study found that this academic concept is not well understood, with 70% of younger generations having a “limited understanding” of AIGC.

Despite this, the concept has found application in everyday life. AIGC products and features are ubiquitous in both the workplace and learning environments. For example, they allow you to generate marketing copy or meeting minutes with one click.

The study found that only 4.8% of young people had “never used” any AIGC app. In other words, over 90% have experienced AIGC products or features. Among them, the most popular are text-generating chatbots such as ChatGPT (65.68%).

Post-2000s people (those born after 2000) are at the forefront of the new technology trend and constitute the largest percentage of respondents who have “learned about or tried an AIGC product” (28.71%) and who are “well informed about AIGC, involved in related industries or research, or proficient in using AIGC products” (6.06%). People after the first decade of the 21st century are also the most frequent users of such applications – 19.95% use AIGC tools every day.

In some ways, Generation Z can be considered a new form of human being. Professor He Yanhong of Shanghai Jiao Tong University said: “Generation Z, as their neurological systems and thinking are shaped by internet technologies, may represent a new dawn for humanity.”

60% of young people have a positive opinion about AIGC, and over 10% monetize this activity

What do young people think about the development of AIGC and the business opportunities that come with it?

More than 60% are optimistic about AIGC: 17.93% “appreciate” and 45.32% “like”. On the other hand, 1.65% “dislike” and 0.66% “hate”.

When asked why they liked this technology, respondents cited “greater work efficiency” (62.78%), “greater convenience of life” (54.09%), and “a fun, interesting experience” (53.91%). On the other hand, negative emotions result from three main issues: job losses to AIGC technology (42.86%); AIGC spreads low-quality content (38.1%); growing concerns about privacy and data security (20.3%).

Compared to a similar Just So Soul survey conducted last July, its latest study reports a decline in disapproving opinions and an increase in positive impressions. It is clear that advances in AIGC technology and adoption have improved youth attitudes towards AIGC.

Interestingly, young users are starting to generate income from AIGC. The data shows that 14.8% of respondents have “earned money on AICG” and 43.35% have plans to do so.

Many professionals in advertising, art and cultural communication have used AIGC technology to make money, and a large proportion of people in the 2000s (42.5%) plan to make money using AIGC tools.

60% of young users have encountered artificial intelligence social networking products, and one third are willing to make friends with artificial intelligence

Social interactions are the ideal application scenario for AIGC. The multimodal AIGC system has improved human-computer interaction in an unprecedented way. Just So Soul found that 60% of respondents had previously used AI-powered social networking products.

Overall, younger generations are open to collaborating with AI: 70.35% take a neutral stance, 17.99% like communicating with chatbots, and only 12% are against interacting with AI.

Why do young people talk to AI? 47.11% said they were fun to talk to without causing any awkward silence or boredom. Moreover, chatbots provide immediate feedback (45.66%), discuss any topic selected by the user (44.53%), and provide emotional companionship (43.73%).

Data shows that over 50% of young people believe that AIGC products can or can alleviate loneliness. Only 8% say AIGC is “not useful in eliminating loneliness.”

Importantly, 32.8% want or even want to become friends with artificial intelligence. Like in a science fiction movie Her, where the protagonist develops a special bond with an AI operating system named Samantha, the evolution of AIGC technology has brought this concept closer to reality. Here and now, they are starting to use intelligent social networks in which humans and artificial intelligence coexistShape.

SOURCE Soul App