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clueless
a surprising number of people don’t know they’re using AI
Amber Rhodes & Dillon Young
January 17, 2025 • Est. Reading Time: 7 minutes
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TL;DR
Americans don’t know how prevalent AI is in their lives. On behalf of every GTM person in tech: we’re jealous!
When should your software start its own community? (Maybe never.)
Goodnight, sweet prince. We might really have to say RIP to TikTok.
ICYMI last week: Watch out for this new hiring trend: companies are using remote work as a way to negotiate lower salaries.
Let's talk shop 🔧
AI is everywhere, and here’s how Americans feel about it
If you’re reading this, you’re probably part of the tech world. And if you’re part of the tech world, you know how much the conversation revolves around AI.
But what if I told you not everyone thinks about AI as much as us?
A new study out of Gallup reveals just how much AI has infiltrated our lives…and how much people might not even notice.
Here’s what they found:
99% of US adults use AI-enabled products every week, but 64% don’t realize they’re using AI.
A majority of people believe AI will negatively impact the spread of information, social connections, job opportunities, and national security.
People who use AI more frequently are more likely to have positive views about AI’s potential.
Younger adults (ages 18-29) are more likely to have negative perceptions of AI on job opportunities, with 78% saying they think AI will affect their ability to get good jobs.
A majority of respondents think that the government, not businesses, should be responsible for reducing the potential harms of AI.
What does all this mean?
The AI surge has seen its insertion into every part of our lives, but Americans aren’t as good at spotting it as they might think.
“These results suggest that many Americans may lack awareness about how their own behavior could shape AI’s impact on U.S. society, offering an opportunity to provide guidance to help Americans incorporate AI into their lives responsibly.”
So now the question is: who’s responsible for educating the public – the government or the tech businesses releasing AI products? 🤔
🖥️ What else is happening in tech?
Startups are still struggling to get funding – unless you’re a big name like OpenAI or Anthropic.
Booooooo! Microsoft is raising the price of its Microsoft 365 Personal and Home subscriptions and adding - you guessed it - AI features.
Accenture predicts that more AI agents than humans will act as primary app users by 2030.
For all the aspiring software cult leaders:
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Let’s dish 🤭
TikTok’s last stand
Is it the end of an era?
The TikTok ban is set to take effect on Sunday, January 19th and the company is prepared to shut down all US operations immediately.
This week, in a hilarious and ironic turn of events, TikTok users flocked to download a Chinese app called RedNote as an interim replacement.
Buuuuuut as of writing this, we still don’t know what’s going to happen!
The Supreme Court says it might issue its ruling Friday morning. There have been mixed reports of the Biden administration leaving the implementation of the law that would ban TikTok up to the new Trump administration.
And because we can’t predict the future, all of this might be old news by the time it lands in your inbox 😓
🫖 What's the tea?
Texas is suing Allstate for allegedly collecting driver data and using it to drive up prices. I guess you’re not in good hands.
Gen Z isn’t shy about adopting ChatGPT for everyday use, but teachers aren’t as confident.
This is the pits! A French woman lost $850k to a scammer pretending to be… Brad Pitt.
See you next week! 👋
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