Recent data on Lithuanians’ attitudes towards the internet and Artificial Intelligence (AI) reveals a mixed perspective. While many people view these technologies as beneficial and helpful in everyday life, there is also a significant level of caution when it comes to situations where technologies take over functions or tasks typically performed by humans.
These tendencies are presented in an infographic based on data, stored in the Lithuanian Data Archive for Social Sciences and Humanities (LiDA) at the Kaunas University of Technology (KTU).
Lithuanians have a largely positive view towards technology, with 86% believing that technology facilitates their life. However, 14% believe that technology does more harm than good. The most mistrust arises when technology seems to take over human tasks.
For example, 72% would feel uncomfortable if their cars were operated by an autonomous driver rather than a real person. 71% would feel worried if medical procedures were performed by a robot and 64% would feel awkward communicating with AI rather than a human.
Approximately half of Lithuanians (46%) are concerned that in the next decade, technologies and AI will take over many work functions or even replace humans completely.
“Half of Lithuanians are worried about the future of their professions, as the tendencies show AI taking over many job positions. It is interesting to note that these figures correspond to projections that approximately half of professions will be lost to AI robots, as machines will perform various tasks significantly better,” says Saulius Keturakis, professor at the KTU Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities (FSSAH).
According to the professor, the biggest paradox is that white-collar positions, such as administrators, programmers and accountants, are at the greatest risk of losing their jobs to AI, as these functions are easy to translate into algorithms. On the contrary, jobs requiring complex sensory and motor skills remain resistant to robotisation for now, according to Keturakis.
The data in the infographic shows that 42% of internet users are consciously reducing their screen time. The main reasons are the wish to have more free time (41%), the negative impact of prolonged scrolling on their personal well-being (18%), information overload (17%) and family and friends’ requests to spend more time with them (17%).
“The data presented in the infographic reveals an important feature of the Lithuanians – although technologies are considered beneficial and facilitate everyday life, many are still cautious about them. People are particularly mistrusting when technology takes over the roles of humans, such as driving cars or performing medical procedures,” said associate professor Jurgita Jurkevičienė, the head of the communication studies at the KTU FSSAH.
According to the associate professor, it is crucial to keep strengthening technological confidence and foster digital literacy skills, so that society will accept innovations not only boldly but also critically and responsibly.
A huge part of society believes having necessary digital skills – browsing on the internet (71%), knowing what personal information should not be posted on the internet (89%), and feeling confident in their abilities to learn using new software (48%). However, digital skills do not necessarily equal confidence in technology.
The associate professor Jurkevičienė notes that the project RECONECT (S-VIS-23-14), funded by the Research Council of Lithuania and carried out by her and her team, reveals the broader context surrounding technological security.
Today, the impact of technology and AI extends beyond personal benefits or work efficiency. Information flows and AI tools can be utilised for manipulation, the spread of disinformation, shaping public opinion, or even imposing geopolitical pressure.
Therefore, the ability to critically assess information, leverage AI and technology and identify potential risks has become not only a personal challenge but also a matter of national security, significantly impacting societal resilience against geopolitical threats.
