Attitudes towards artificial intelligence in professional and personal life

Introduction. Digital competence is seen as key to employment, education, and social domains in the 21st century. At the same time, there is no universal framework for studying attitudes towards artificial intelligence (AI) and its use in professional and personal life. Aim. The aim of the present research is to outline respondents’ attitudes towards the benefits and threats of AI that may facilitate or hinder the process of intelligent AI integration into different aspects of life. Methodology and research methods. This article outlines results from a pilot study of attitudes towards AI, conducted with a sample of 125 Bulgarian students and professionals. The research design is mixed (quantitative and qualitative) and includes questionnaire, focus groups and interviews. Results and scientific novelty. The results reveal that both young people and adults base their opinions on their assessment of AI performance and find positive implications in terms of facilitating task performance, but have strong reservations concerning job security and the use of AI in the social sphere. They also suggest that AI skills need to become integrated into education. Future research directions highlighted include differentiating between educational, professional, and personal domains and self-assessing digital literacy from an evidence-based vs. state of the art perspective. Practical significance. Insights from this study focus on mindful mindset, educational settings and the redesign of educational content, particularly forms of critical engagement and use of AI.