The rise of artificial intelligence is proving to be more than a passing trend, as it becomes deeply integrated into nearly every aspect of our lives and society.
The introduction of large language models like ChatGPT, Google Gemini and Microsoft Copilot are mainstays in our vocabulary, providing everything from cooking recipes to medical diagnoses.
Discussions about AI have surged since ChatGPT's debut in November 2022. But where do people stand — are they embracing its applications and future potential, or expressing concerns?
Over the last year, the Social Media Insights Lab at the University of South Carolina has been tracking conversations regarding AI sentiment. The lab’s powerful Quid software used artificial intelligence to identify 259,271 posts globally since Jan. 1, 2024.
Volume of the monthly online conversations about positive AI mentions (purple curve) and negative AI mentions (orange curve) since January 2024.
Negative posts spiked in August, reflecting conversations in the r/Android subreddit discussing the inclusion of AI in smartphones.
Positive posts spiked in June, attributed to conversations describing practical applications of AI in various industries as well as its potential for streamlining content creation.
Sixty three percent of posts analyzed by the Insights Lab shared positive emotions toward AI. Common themes in these conversations included its role in business operations, such as customer support, supply chain management, and data analysis.
The remaining 37 percent expressed negative emotions toward AI, focusing on issues like its application in the video game industry and ethical concerns surrounding AI-generated art.
Pie chart of content sources. Most prominent sources include Twitter, forums and news.
139,560 posts (original posts, replies and retweets) originated from Twitter, accounting for over half of all conversations surrounding AI sentiment. 90,650 of these were retweets, accounting for 65 percent of all Twitter posts.
A word cloud, summarizing the most popular terms in the conversation. This one demonstrates terms like “good,” “loves” and “experience” being among the most common words used when posting about AI sentiment.
The word “good” was found in 40 percent of all posts analyzed. Popular topics associated with the term include AI’s applications as an online virtual therapist as well as how far generative AI in creative fields has progressed in the past few years.
About the Social Media Insights Lab
The lab is part of the University of South Carolina College of Information and Communications. Its powerful Quid software can analyze massive amounts of information across social media platforms, bringing insights and understanding to complex questions and issues. The lab is used for teaching, academic research and public reports intended to help people better understand issues of the day. View a full list of reports and follow the lab on X (Twitter) at @UofSCInsights