Google this week revealed that searches for artificial intelligence (AI) reached an all-time high in South Africa last year, increasing by 370% since 2022 and 650% over the past five years.

The top searched questions included ‘What is artificial intelligence?’ and ‘How to use AI?’, while searches for ‘What is the current situation of AI?’ and ‘What is generative AI?’ increased by over 5 000%.

The trends data complements Google’s new AI global survey Our Life with AI: The reality of today and the promise of tomorrow.

The survey found that 91% of South African respondents felt that due to AI, people’s daily lives will not look the same five years from now.

South African respondents also said AI is already having an impact on the way we access information (81%), learn (78%) and work (72), and they are excited about its possibilities (60%).

When asked where AI will most likely have a positive impact in the next five years, South African respondents chose the accuracy of medical diagnoses and the effectiveness of the school curriculum (both 73%); 82% feel AI will have a positive impact on their ability to understand complex topics, and 79% think it will benefit the way they learn.

South Africans also said:

• AI will benefit society as a whole (76%)
• We like AI (69%)
• South Africa will be able to harness the potential of AI over the next five years (63%)
• AI will change most jobs and industries (95%)
• AI will change the economy (83%).

When asked which institutions they have confidence in to oversee the development of AI in the best interests of the public, South Africans favoured technology companies (90%) and academic institutions (85%) over the government (50%) and armed forces (61%). However, their preferred approach was collaborative, with 91% saying government and technology companies should work together to educate students and workers about AI, and 88% wanting the same collaboration to ensure everyone can benefit from AI advancements. Only 34% felt that the use and development of AI should be paused.

Google’s AI delivering real-world benefits

Google says its AlphaFold tool, which has been made available to millions of researchers across the world, is helping scientists to understand and cure diseases and fight antibiotic resistance. Meanwhile, FloodHub helps to predict floods up to seven days in advance for more than 80 countries, it says.

“It’s great to see people in South Africa showing such a keen interest in the potential of AI as a transformative technology,” says Matt Brittin, the president of Google Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

“People across the world are benefitting from responsibly developed AI tools every day, but it’s important that we get this right. We’re committed to working boldly, responsibly and together with governments across Europe to maximise the potential of AI, make sure everyone can benefit from it, and minimise its abuse.”