TY - JOUR
T1 - The perception and use of generative AI for science-related information search
T2 - Insights from a cross-national study
AU - Greussing, Esther
AU - Guenther, Lars
AU - Baram-Tsabari, Ayelet
AU - Dabran-Zivan, Shakked
AU - Jonas, Evelyn
AU - Klein-Avraham, Inbal
AU - Taddicken, Monika
AU - Agergaard, Torben Esbo
AU - Beets, Becca
AU - Brossard, Dominique
AU - Chakraborty, Anwesha
AU - Fage-Butler, Antoinette
AU - Huang, Chun Ju
AU - Kankaria, Siddharth
AU - Lo, Yin Yueh
AU - Nielsen, Kristian H.
AU - Riedlinger, Michelle
AU - Song, Hyunjin
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2025. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).
PY - 2025/7/1
Y1 - 2025/7/1
N2 - Publicly accessible large language models like ChatGPT are emerging as novel information intermediaries, enabling easy access to a wide range of science-related information. This study presents survey data from seven countries (N = 4320) obtained in July and August 2023, focusing on the perception and use of GenAI for science-related information search. Despite the novelty of ChatGPT, a sizable proportion of respondents already reported using it to access science-related information. In addition, the study explores how these users perceive ChatGPT compared with traditional types of information intermediaries (e.g. Google Search), their knowledge of, and trust in GenAI, compared with nonusers as well as compared with those who use ChatGPT for other purposes. Overall, this study provides insights into the perception and use of GenAI at an early stage of adoption, advancing our understanding of how this emerging technology shapes public understanding of science issues as an information intermediary.
AB - Publicly accessible large language models like ChatGPT are emerging as novel information intermediaries, enabling easy access to a wide range of science-related information. This study presents survey data from seven countries (N = 4320) obtained in July and August 2023, focusing on the perception and use of GenAI for science-related information search. Despite the novelty of ChatGPT, a sizable proportion of respondents already reported using it to access science-related information. In addition, the study explores how these users perceive ChatGPT compared with traditional types of information intermediaries (e.g. Google Search), their knowledge of, and trust in GenAI, compared with nonusers as well as compared with those who use ChatGPT for other purposes. Overall, this study provides insights into the perception and use of GenAI at an early stage of adoption, advancing our understanding of how this emerging technology shapes public understanding of science issues as an information intermediary.
KW - artificial intelligence
KW - cross-national research
KW - information search
KW - survey
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85216755278
U2 - 10.1177/09636625241308493
DO - 10.1177/09636625241308493
M3 - Article
C2 - 39891412
AN - SCOPUS:85216755278
SN - 0963-6625
VL - 34
SP - 599
EP - 615
JO - Public Understanding of Science
JF - Public Understanding of Science
IS - 5
ER -