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The widespread adoption of artificial intelligence (AI)—particularly in "hidden" everyday applications—is creating a new and distinct form of digital inequality. This is the warning of communication researcher Professor Sai Wang and her colleagues at the Hong Kong Baptist University, who analyzed data on more than 10,000 Americans' engagement with AI in a paper published in the journal Information, Communication & Technology .

How socioeconomic status shapes AI use

The team's analysis reveals that people with higher levels of education or income tend to be more aware of AI, more familiar with it, and more likely to use the burgeoning technology than those with a lower socioeconomic status (SES).

The researchers define AI awareness primarily as recognizing the use of the technology in various contexts; familiarity, meanwhile, relates to people's perceived knowledge of AI, regardless of their actual knowledge.

"Closing the AI awareness gap is essential, because if only…