Characteristics of ChatGPT users from Germany: implications for the digital divide from web tracking data

Characteristics of ChatGPT users from Germany: implications for the digital divide from web tracking data

Description

A major challenge of our time is reducing disparities in access to and effective use of digital technologies, with recent discussions highlighting the role of AI in exacerbating the digital divide. We examine user characteristics that predict usage of the AI-powered conversational agent ChatGPT. We combine behavioral and survey data in a web tracked sample of N=1376 German citizens to investigate differences in ChatGPT activity (usage, visits, and adoption) during the first 11 months from the launch of the service (November 30, 2022). Guided by a model of technology acceptance (UTAUT-2), we examine the role of socio-demographics commonly associated with the digital divide in ChatGPT activity and explore further socio-political attributes identified via stability selection in Lasso regressions. We confirm that lower age and higher education affect ChatGPT usage, but neither gender nor income do. We find full-time employment and more children to be barriers to ChatGPT activity. Using a variety of social media was positively associated with ChatGPT activity. In terms of political variables, political knowledge and political self-efficacy as well as some political behaviors such as voting, debating political issues online and offline and political action online were all associated with ChatGPT activity, with online political debating and political self-efficacy negatively so. Finally, need for cognition and communication skills such as writing, attending meetings, or giving presentations, were also associated with ChatGPT engagement, though chairing/organizing meetings was negatively associated. Our research informs efforts to address digital disparities and promote digital literacy among underserved populations by presenting implications, recommendations, and discussions on ethical and social issues of our findings.
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Year of publication

2024

Authors

Department of Computer Science

Andreas Spitz - Creator

Celina Kacperski - Creator

Denis Bonnay - Creator

Juhi Kulshrestha Orcid -palvelun logo - Creator

Peter Selb - Creator

Roberto Ulloa - Creator

University of Konstanz - Contributor

Universität Konstanz - Publisher

Université Paris Nanterre - Contributor

Other information

Fields of science

Computer and information sciences

Open access

Open

License

Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY NC 4.0)

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