The two U.S. states most cautious about artificial intelligence (AI) are ones you might expect to be the most enthusiastic about the transformational technology.

A new study reveals that Massachusetts is the state most wary about AI — that’s right, the land of MIT, Harvard and dozens of top technology companies is the wariest of AI. The next state on the list is equally surprising — California. Yep, the home of the Silicon Valley is part of the state that is second on the list of states that most often question artificial intelligence. The third state, New York, is also a bit a surprise given its prowess in, among things, financial services and media.

The study by web design company Digital Silk suggests that some people in those states might be apprehensive about the potential downsides of AI, such as the loss of intellectual property (either through theft or human error), plagiarism and job market impacts, particularly in creative fields.

Some examples of the negative keywords cited for this analysis include  “AI detection,” “Chat GPT detector”  and “AI content checker,” as well as keywords for anti-AI tools, such as “Nightshade AI.”

AI wariness study methodology

To reach its conclusions on which states expressed the most wariness, Digital Silk reports that it analyzed Google search terms related to detecting AI content, reducing AI's presence and expressing negative sentiments about AI. The average monthly searches for these terms in each state were divided by the state's population to determine the search volume per 100,000 residents.

Here are the key findings from the survey for the 10 states most suspicious of AI:

  1. Massachusetts
    520 average monthly searches per 100,000 residents related to AI wariness.
    48.5% above the national average.
    36,402 average AI-related monthly searches. (Ed. note: Figure corrected 3/11/24)
  2. California
    507 average monthly searches cautious about AI per 100,000 residents.
    44.7% above the national average.
    197,383 average AI-related monthly searches.
  3. New York
    499 average monthly searches per 100,000 residents.
    42.6% above the national average.
    97,712  average AI-related monthly searches
  4. New Jersey
    463 average monthly searches related to AI wariness per 100,000 residents.
    32.3% above the national average.
    43,026 average AI-related monthly searches.
  5. Rhode Island
    460 average monthly searches related to AI wariness per 100,000 residents.
    31.6% above the national average of 350.
    5,047 average AI-related monthly searches.
  6. Connecticut
    431 average monthly searches related to AI wariness per 100,000 residents.
    23.2% above the national average.
    15,594 average AI-related monthly searches.
  7. Virginia
    422 average monthly searches related to AI wariness per 100,000 residents.
    20.7% above the national average.
    36,821 average AI-related monthly searches.
  8. Maryland
    393 average monthly searches related to AI wariness per 100,000 residents.
    12.1% above the national average.
    24,258 average AI-related monthly searches.
  9. Washington
    389 average monthly searches related to AI wariness per 100,000 residents.
    11.1% above the national average.
    30,377 average AI-related monthly searches.
  10. Utah
    367 average monthly searches related to AI wariness per 100,000 residents.
    4.7% above the national average.
    12,527 average AI-related monthly searches.

“AI technology has garnered significant hype, but as it becomes more prevalent, concerns regarding its ethical use are emerging,” Gabriel Shaoolian, CEO and founder of Digital Silk, said in a statement.

A listing of the 25 most common search terms with negative AI connotations is below.

[caption id="attachment_139340" align="alignnone" width="506"] The top 25  search terms tracked in the Digital Silk study. Source: Digital Silk.[/caption]