Three in five people in Belfast think AI is ‘annoying’ - and most can spot when someone is using ChatGPT

New research from mobile network operator Talkmobile reveals that almost a fifth (17%) think negatively when it comes to AI - from ChatGPT to AI videos and chatbots.

But the study has revealed a generational divide among people living in Belfast when it comes to AI and its rising prevalence in modern Britain.

Half of the city’s baby boomers (aged 60 to 78) think AI is having a negative effect on life (50%), while millennials (aged 28 to 43) are the most positive about it, with two-thirds (67%) believing it brings a benefit to their lives.

Three-fifths (61%) of people living in the Northern Irish capital think the frequent use of AI is becoming ‘annoying’ - a sentiment shared most by millennials in the capital.

Two-thirds of millennials in Belfast (67%) believe AI is becoming ‘annoying’, while two-fifths (43%) of the generation above them, generation X, think its use is becoming too much to bear.

Two-thirds (67%) of Belfast locals believe it is ‘easy’ to spot when someone is using AI software like ChatGPT.

Surprisingly, boomers have the sharpest eye for noticing AI, with three-quarters (75%) saying they can spot the tell-tale signs - while half of millennials (50%) think they can identify it.

Half of Belfast residents (50%) have ‘never’ used AI in their lives, however, just 6% use it daily.

Three-quarters (75%) of boomers in Belfast have ‘never’ used AI, in contrast with almost a third (33%) of millennials who have said that they have never used AI in their lives.

However, Generation X were the generation who used it most every day with 14%.

Half of Belfast locals (50%) said that they would be ‘annoyed’ if they found a work colleague using AI to do their job.

In an ever-changing world of AI, Talkmobile - the winner of eight customer care awards since 2023 – promotes great value over complexity, and is committed to connecting its customers with a real person in its call centre in under 20 seconds.

Negativity towards AI is slightly lower in the Northern Ireland capital compared to the rest of the UK, which is at 37%, according to the survey of 2,000 adults from across the nation.

​​For the study, researchers quizzed 2,000 Brits across all age groups about their views on AI, how the technology is being used and in which circumstances it is appropriate.

Half (50%) of UK adults aged 60 to 78 believe AI is having a negative impact on society, compared to one in 10 (14%) who think it is having a positive influence.

Sarah Boyle, Head of Operations at Talkmobilesaid: “There are very few aspects of our lives that are not already influenced by AI - the genie is out of the bottle, it is here to stay.

“While we at Talkmobile share in the excitement that this new tech offers the world, we know just how much our customers value that human connection.

“For us, communication means human to human contact – and that will never seem old fashioned to us.”