We live in changing times but there is no reason, to quote Withnail & I, to make an enemy of our future.
Knowing the slight touches at the tiller is useful as the boat chugs ever onwards.
The Ofcom Adults Media Use and Attitudes report is one such document that shows slight tweaks of direction.
Here’s seven stats that you need to know.
54 per cent of UK adults are using AI
Within two years the number of people who are using AI in the UK has doubled. This compares to the eight years it took for half the country to be using the internet. This figure includes a mix of work, home, education, curiosity and other factors.
Almost twice the number of 16-year-olds are using AI compared to 55-year-olds
With 79 per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds now using AI the younger generation are adopting the tools at a far greater rate than older people. By definition, senior communicators who are older are at risk of being left behind. This is not something to outsource. It’s something to understand. There are some great online explainers from the likes of Google and Microsoft out there.
75 per cent read AI summaries in search
Google has switched from a traditional listing to a summary generated by AI for many searches. We have had SEO – search engine optimisation. We now have the age of GEO – generative engine optimisation. That’s techniques for placing your answers into AI summaries not just on Google but answers from large language models like ChatGPT, Gemini and Copilot.
44 per cent are confident they can identify AI content
If less than half of us are not confident that we can identify something made by a machine this poses questions. Are we likely to be taken in by AI deepfakes and disinformation? Yes, we are.
85 per cent use mainstream news
The majority of people use our 300-year-old tradition of journalism. But within that, while a fifth always trust it the same number always question it. We would be wrong to think that the liberal tradition of journalists holding decision makers to account will always be with us. This needs work.
49 per cent now post or comment on social media
This figure marks something of a collapse. Last year, the figure was 61 per cent. If we are retreating from active social media use what else are we doing? The overall figure of social media use – 89 per cent – hasn’t changed much.
78 per cent see news regularly on social media
Social media once again has become an established source of news. While four in five see news in their feeds a third of people will also share it.
For more, I deliver training to help you make sense of the changing landscape.
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Creative commons credit: Piccadilly Circus in 1986 by Stella Gardiner, CC BY-SA 2.0
