Anthropic has published a large qualitative study: 81,000 people from 159 countries, speaking 70 languages, took part in interviews conducted by an AI. Not multiple-choice questionnaires, but open conversations.
What people want from AI
- 19% want to excel professionally: delegating repetitive work
- 14% seek personal change: learning, growth, mental wellbeing
- 14% want to run daily life better: admin, organisation
- 11% want to win back time for the people close to them
These aspirations are not technological. They are deeply human: time, autonomy, connection.
81% say AI has already delivered
A Japanese engineer: "For the first time, the AI beat human quality on a business task. That day I left on time and picked up my daughter from nursery." A former Chilean butcher, new to computers, started a digital business. A Ukrainian employee who cannot speak built a bot that eases his communication.
The common thread: AI opens doors people believed were shut for good.
But the fears are just as real
- 27% worry about reliability: hallucinations, invented citations
- 22% fear the effect on employment
- 22% fear losing autonomy and the capacity to decide
- 16% mention cognitive atrophy
An Israeli lawyer: "I use AI to review contracts and save time, and at the same time I ask myself: am I losing my ability to read for myself?"
Hope and fear live in the same person
The main lesson: hope and worry do not split people into two camps. They coexist as tensions inside each individual. The answer lies in a "human in the middle" approach, where the person keeps control, reflection and the decision.
Source: Anthropic, What 81,000 people want from AI.