Seventy-five percent of Nigerians are comfortable sharing their personal information with Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, according to a survey conducted by KnowBe4 Africa, a platform for new-school security awareness.
The ‘Generative AI in the Middle East and Africa Survey 2024 Survey’ revealed that Nigeria’s 75 percent is the highest among the countries it studied.
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“In South Africa, only 54 percent of users feel comfortable sharing their personal information with generative AI tools, compared to 67 percent in the United Arab Emirate and 75 percent in Nigeria,” it noted.
The firm noted that the surveyed countries included Nigeria, South Africa, Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Egypt, Mauritius, Morocco, UAE, and Saudi Arabia, with 1,300 users as respondents. The firm said almost two-thirds of these respondents are at ease sharing their personal information with generative AI tools such as ChatGPT.
Anna Collard, SVP Content Strategy and Evangelist, KnowBe4 Africa, said, “While the results clearly show that generative AI tools are widely used, they also highlight the need for increased user training and awareness regarding the potential risks associated with this powerful new technology.”
83 percent of users feel confident about the accuracy and reliability of generative AI, showing an excessive level of trust, KnowBe4 Africa highlighted.
“42 percent of respondents use generative AI several times a week, 67 percent of respondents use generative AI for doing research, 81 percent of respondents use generative AI to save time, and 95 percent of respondents are concerned about adversaries’ use of generative AI,” the firm added.
The firm noted, however, that the survey results highlight the need for user education regarding the usage of AI tools.
It declared, “The report’s findings highlight the need for more user education regarding the potential dangers of AI tools, particularly the growing threat of deepfake technology.
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“The adoption of GenAI offers tremendous opportunities for African users and organisations, but we also need to consider the associated risks. Our survey, which runs across users owning smartphones in 10 African countries, indicates that all respondents are using generative AI in their personal and professional lives, with many using it daily or weekly.”
