Awareness, Knowledge, and Attitude towards Artificial Intelligence: Perspectives of Vietnamese Information Technology Students

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been explored to simulate human decision-making processes to improve the lives of people. Such issues include, but not limited to: intelligent personal voice assistant, face-recognition-enabled payments, risk predictor in finance, and a conversational chatbot. According to an analysis report in 2017 by PwC, a well-known financial audit and assurance firm, AI development and its applications will facilitate global GDP at least up to 14% by 2030, which is about the equivalent of an additional $15.7 trillion. The report also noted that China and North America are expected to benefit the most from AI technology, followed by Southern Europe, and the rest Asian countries. Accordingly, AI awareness and its applications are crucial, especially for those who are pursuing Information Technology (IT) and relevant degrees since they will be the next generation of AI designers and users. Vietnam is in the nascent stage of development in technology and communications. The primary objective of this study was to assess knowledge and attitudes toward AI among Vietnamese IT college students. The research participants were selected through a convenient sampling method. The results of the present study provided useful information for educational institutions to evaluate if their existing AI and related curriculums are appropriate for their students.