By Stephen Hill
Publication Date: 2026-04-06 18:20:00
For New Zealanders, artificial intelligence (AI) is quickly becoming as integral a part of everyday life as smartphones and social media were.
According to the recently released InternetNZ Internet Insights 2026 report, almost eight in 10 Kiwis have used AI tools in the past year. Now more than half use them at least weekly.
But as usage increases, so too does concern about the impact of this transformative technology on society. In a recent survey, half of respondents were extremely or very concerned about the impact of AI on misinformation, privacy and potential abuse.
Other national surveys tell a similar story.
One study found that only a quarter of respondents believed that current safeguards were sufficient to make AI safe to use. In another case, two-thirds of respondents said they would stop using a company’s products if they had concerns about using AI.
These views are not surprising. Big AI companies are increasingly involved in everything from “deepfake”…
