Schiphol, 5 March 2025 – A large proportion of Dutch people see AI as a threat to our (online) security. For example, sixty percent are afraid that cybercrime will increase and two-thirds fear an increase in the spread of fake news. The call for active involvement from the government and the European Union is great.
This is evident from a representative survey of 1,000 adult Dutch people by market research agency MSI-ACI Europe. This so-called AI barometer*, the first in a series, examined the sentiment around artificial intelligence. The research focuses on the use of AI in private life as well as at work and school.
The Dutch see dangers in all kinds of areas, especially when it comes to online fraud, reliability of information and guaranteeing privacy. For example, 72 percent are concerned about misleading information by deepfakes. These are AI-manipulated videos or photos that appear real but are not. 'The truth can no longer be distinguished from the lie', says one of the respondents. Another goes much further and states: 'The world is going to perish because of it'. Only 9 percent agree with the statement 'AI makes my life a little safer'. Fear and skepticism are greatest among 56+ people. They are significantly more afraid than average of an increase in cybercrime (70 percent).
Because of these concerns, an overwhelming majority is in favor of enforcement and regulation. For example, 68 percent say that the government should play an active role in monitoring and regulating AI developments. The same percentage thinks it is good that the European Union bans various applications because of a lack of clarity about the security and privacy of data. Recently, the EU put an end to AI systems that classify people based on behaviour or personal characteristics (social scoring). The use of AI for risk assessment for committing criminal offences is also not permitted.
But weighing up all the opportunities and threats, 32 percent are still positive about the possibilities of AI and more than 40 percent take a neutral position. For example, artificial intelligence is seen as a way to solve some of the current staff shortages. And only 10 percent agree with the statement 'AI is a threat to my job'. Incidentally, it is mainly the so-called Gen Z generation (18-25 year olds) and the millennials (26-45 year olds) who see the pluses.
It is also striking that AI is seen as a threat to our (online) security on the one hand, but at the same time it can contribute to it. For example, 36 percent of those surveyed would definitely consider handing over personal data for the development of AI applications in exchange for security, and 30 percent are neutral about it. There is also enthusiasm for linking and analysing personal data (internet behaviour, purchasing behaviour, places visited) by security services with the aim of combating terrorism. More than half of the Dutch are positive or neutral about this.
Almost half of the Dutch indicate that they use AI in their private lives. But only 18 percent say they use the applications daily or regularly. This mainly concerns Open AI (such as GPT), automatic translations and image and facial recognition on the smartphone.
The knowledge of AI is poor, according to the results. No more than 21 percent say they know 'well' what artificial intelligence entails. 'Heard of it, but don't really know what it means', applies to 26 percent of the Dutch people.
Professor of Computer Science at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Felienne Hermans, is surprised that people see the risks of AI. Even though the knowledge about artificial intelligence leaves too little according to the research, the concern(s) she calls well-founded. As an example, she mentions Whatsapp fraud. "If your child's voice is actually used, we might fall for it much more easily. And I'm still talking about the small, personal scale, while these kinds of things can also be used in the public, political debate."
The AI expert expects an increasing social impact in the longer term. "Because what will it do to us if we have to think about whether every image is real? That takes a lot of time and, above all, creates a culture of distrust – even for real pictures."
Although AI is already widely used for some purposes, such as translating text, it can ultimately never replace something essential: human contact. Hermans: "Personal contact is essential. Whether it's a smile, a letter or an ancient book; Contact with another human being is the essence of life."
*The AI barometer is a periodic, representative survey among Dutch people aged 18 and older. This involves measuring the 'temperature' of Dutch society when it comes to AI applications in the private sphere, at work, and within education.