Artificial intelligence is used in everything from content development to smartphones and GPS electronic maps.

Oregonians remain wary over the use of artificial intelligence and believe that it needs governmental oversight, according to a survey by the Oregon Values and Beliefs Center.

In a statewide survey, the center asked 1,807 respondents from Dec. 19 to Jan. 7 about their views on artificial intelligence, how they use it and what they perceived are the risks of the technology.

Artificial intelligence is used in everything from content development to smartphones and GPS electronic maps. According to the survey, more than 73% of the respondents have used GPS, 65% used virtual assistants like Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa, and 61% used online algorithms like autofill and social media tracking tools.

“I was surprised by how nuanced people’s understanding was,” said Amaury Vogel, Oregon Values and Beliefs Center executive director. “They appeared to understand the risk and the opportunities.”

In general, the respondents believed that artificial intelligence, if controlled, could benefit society in novel ways, according to the survey. Only about 7% of the Oregonians surveyed said they lacked exposure to all forms of artificial intelligence, and only 9% had experience with self-driving cars, according to the survey.

Victoria Mccurry, an 85-year-old Redmond resident, was among those wary of the roles artificial intelligence plays in the world today. She doesn’t want to see robots or artificial intelligence replace humans in the workforce, she said.

“AI has been around in various capacities for a long time,” said Mccurry, who was a respondent to the survey. “I find it frightening that AI could be used for nefarious reasons. It can scam you. Those scammers are constantly finding new ways to scam you. I think we need to tread lightly.”

At one time in Mccurry’s life, she was the human who checked computers. She was hired to add up large sums of numbers and her calculations were checked against a computer’s, she said. Now computers are being used to check humans, she said.

“I don’t want my doctor to use AI,” she said. “I don’t want my nurse to use it either. And I don’t want the editor of my newspaper to use to use AI. Humans have a conscience and compassion. I don’t think the machines can do that.”

The Oregon Values and Beliefs Center is an independent, nonpartisan organization. Due to rounding, the percentages reported by the Oregon Values and Beliefs Center may not add up to 100%.

The survey also showed that Oregonians believed that the use of artificial intelligence requires transparency, checks and balances and ensuring that it’s always used for the public good.

“People feel like the government has the best tools for trying to put limits on AI and its development,” Vogel said. “People don’t trust the AI developers and tech companies to regulate themselves.”

Daniel Olson, a 79-year-old Deschutes County resident, doesn’t think Oregon agencies are well equipped to oversee such an all encompassing issue like artificial intelligence. The state government took years to update the employment department’s computer programs, Olson said.

“After spending lots of money, the government doesn’t have much to show for it,” Olson said. “I don’t have much faith in the government that they can implement, monitor and regulate artificial intelligence.”

Interestingly enough, Vogel said, 47% of the respondents said they trusted the scientific community to make decisions related to artificial intelligence.