Overall attitudes towards quantum computing are more positive than overall attitudes towards artificial intelligence considering also knowledge levels

<p>Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a major topic of public and scientific debate, whereas public perceptions of quantum computing (QC) remain less understood. In the present study, we aimed to understand if people have different views on AI vs. QC, while also asking them about their perceived knowledge levels in these two domains.

Further, we investigated the construct of technology self-efficacy to consider how people in general think they can master new technology. In N = 475 German speaking participants from the general population (227 females, 248 males) we observed a) that people report on average more positive attitudes towards QC than towards AI, while b) at the same time reporting less knowledge on QC compared to AI. In mediation models, we observed that the link between technology self-efficacy and more positive AI / QC attitudes is mediated by knowledge levels about AI / QC.

We also shed light on further mediation models with negative AI / QC attitudes and pessimism aversion in the context of AI / QC as outcomes. The present data could be interpreted in a way that the massive global discussions on AI technology might make people less positive towards this general-purpose technology compared to overall QC attitudes, whereas interestingly the reported knowledge levels about QC are lower than those regarding AI. This is noteworthy, as it is discussed that the fusion of QC and AI technology will represent a powerful merger likely leading to a dramatic increase of scientific discovery, an assumption that received moderate support in the present sample.

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