AI Monthly: Many Still Unconvinced Of Genai's Relevance

(MENAFN- ING) A large proportion of individuals still find no need for this technology

In the eurozone, almost two-thirds of respondents in a 2025 EU survey report not using any GenAI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Copilot, Dall-E) to create text, pictures or codes, despite using the internet over the past three months. More importantly,“no need” stands out as their top reason, while other concerns such as not knowing how to use it, being unaware of its existence, or broader security reasons remain limited. There are also some differences within eurozone countries. For instance, non-usage is highest in Italy, while Spain tops the list for users who were unaware of GenAI's existence, and didn't know how to use it. Still,“no need” dominates responses across all countries.

Taken together, the high share of non-users, many of whom see 'no need', suggests that the gains from GenAI may be concentrated among a minority with the right complementarities, such as relevant knowledge, skills, and clear use cases in work or personal life. This also implies that simply pushing for broader adoption may not be enough, as non-users may need greater awareness of practical applications, many of which may not yet be well understood or fully developed.

'No need' is the top reason for not using AI in all countries

Percentage of individuals not using GenAI and their top reasons, eurozone countries

Eurostat, 2025

"> The younger and more educated lead in usage, but also in job anxiety

In the eurozone, non-usage increases sharply with age; from around 40% in respondents between the age of 16-34, to over 75% for those between the age of 45-74. Non-usage rises from around 50% among highly educated respondents to 80% among those with lower levels of education. Younger and more educated individuals are therefore more likely to find the technology relevant and to benefit from its use. Women also tend to report slightly higher levels of non-usage within the same age and education groups, although the difference remains small.

At the same time, reports such as this recent one from Anthropic highlight that younger, early-career workers are also the ones who are most concerned about losing their jobs to AI. Moreover, occupations requiring higher levels of education tend to be more exposed to AI through automation or augmentation, and greater AI job exposure is also linked with increased worries about job displacement. This creates a high usage – high anxiety paradox, where greater familiarity with the technology appears to increase, rather than alleviate, fears.

Employees that use GenAI may see personal benefits today but worry that wider adoption might cost them tomorrow. This makes it tricky to push people to use GenAI to increase productivity without providing sufficient safeguards, as this perceived threat from wider adoption may lead to intentional underutilisation of the technology.

AI non-usage increases with age and decreases with higher levels of education

Percentage of individuals not using GenAI and their top reasons, by male and female, eurozone

Eurostat, 2025

"> The broader economic payoff may take longer to materialise

Businesses and policymakers are encouraging wider GenAI adoption to reap broader economic benefits. An important step in that direction would be convincing people of the value added and generating broader use cases, as the main constraint is that of relevance, rather than know-how or fears of security.

Even then, the prominent usage differences between countries, age groups, and education levels suggest that gains may accrue to certain demographics, like the young and more educated, before these are diffused into the broader economy. But these groups that stand to gain are also faced with greater anxiety about job losses. This makes it just as important to ensure that widespread fear does not stand in the way of adoption as it is to ensure that adoption does not widen economic inequality. After all, not everyone is starting the AI race from the same position.

MENAFN27052026000222011065ID1111175513