According to the qualitative study, “89% of respondents believe that AI has made their lives easier, with helping to find information faster (74%) and saving time through task automation (57%) being the main facilitators”.
Between aces uses of artificial intelligence “most recognized by the Portuguese for impacting their day-to-day lives are navigation and traffic updates (57%), virtual assistants (56%), AI-generated content (52%) and customer support via chatbots (45%).”
Nearly “8% consider that AI does not impact their daily lives” and 11% of respondents say that it makes life more complicated, “mainly due to their perception that it can be biased or misleading (67%), seem impersonal or robotic (66%) and reduce human decision-making (60%)”.
The study was conducted by Netsonda through online questionnaires with a representative sample of 800 individuals aged between 18 and 64, with a margin of error of 3.46%.
“AI is reshaping industries and societies around the world — and Portugal plays a fundamental role in this transformation. Lisbon has emerged as a powerful interconnection hub, enabling efficient data flows between continents,” he says Ivo Ivanovexecutive president (CEO) of DE-CIX, cited in a statement.
The study, whose data collection took place between April 9th and 16th of this year, “highlights how deeply AI is already embedded in the daily lives of people in Portugal, bringing with it opportunities and responsibilities for the future”says Ivo Ivanov. According to the study, the Portuguese look at AI as a language translation help tool (63%) and to facilitate access to educational resources (58%).
“Almost three in 10 respondents (27%) have already used educational tools based on AI, with people between 18 and 24 years old showing adoption rates of 42%” and, among those who have already used them, “more than half (57%) are ‘very satisfied’ with the experience”.
Using AI in healthcare
In health, “two thirds of Portuguese believe that AI can improve healthcare services by reducing waiting times (66%) and improving efficiency by automating administrative tasks (63%)”.
Regarding medical acts, “the Portuguese are divided: half (50%) today feel comfortable with the use of AI in medical diagnoses and treatments, with, however, a small difference between the feeling between men and women”. More than half of men (55%) feel more comfortable than women (46%).
As for the main reasons for feeling comfortable using AI in medicine, “the main ones are the ability to analyze medical data quickly (67%) and help in monitoring health indicators (55%)”.
The fear of errors in diagnosis is the main reason why “Portuguese people do not feel comfortable with the use of AI in medical treatments and diagnoses (55%), followed by the fear that AI errors could negatively affect treatment results (50%)”.
Use of AI in big cities
Already about the use of IA in smart cities, I know in each 10 respondents believe that technology can optimize traffic management (to reduce congestion) and facilitate better public transport times and routes (59%).
“Public safety (improved surveillance, real-time emergency response, and AI-powered crime prevention and prediction) is the characteristic of a smart city considered most beneficial (52%)”, the document reads.
According to the study, “seven in 10 respondents express particular concern about privacy breaches (67%), security risks (62%) and job losses (62%)”.