1st International Scientific Conference Education and Artificial Intelligence (EDAI 2024), [pp. 235-245]
AUTHOR(S) / АУТОР(И): Jasmina Arsenijević
, Nikola Halai, Angela Mesaroš Živkov 
Download Full Pdf
DOI: 10.46793/EDAI24.235A
ABSTRACT / САЖЕТАК:
Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly shaping various aspects of contemporary society. This paper investigates the perceptions of AI within the academic community in Serbia, with the goal of understanding these attitudes to support improved application and integration of AI technologies. Understanding such attitudes is essential for exploring new opportunities for AI implementation across society and economy. The study, conducted in 2024, surveyed 194 participants across Serbian cities, including younger and employed students from both humanities and technical-technological fields. Results reveal a generally positive attitude on AI, with its potential to contribute to social development being rated the highest. Concerns regarding ethical use and potential risks are present, yet less pronounced. Younger respondents and those from the field of engineering and technology display significantly more positive attitudes toward AI compared to older respondents or those from the field of social sciences and humanities, as confirmed by a t- test analysis. These findings highlight the importance of targeted education and training to increase understanding and acceptance of AI, which is crucial for its successful integration into Serbia’s social and economic systems. Furthermore, these results suggest that a positively inclined present and future workforce, particularly from technical fields, could foster a more favorable climate for AI-driven innovations in the Serbian economy. Embracing AI in workforce development could thus enhance productivity, attract investment, and support economic growth, underscoring the strategic value of AI literacy across educational domains for Serbia’s economic advancement.
KEYWORDS / КЉУЧНЕ РЕЧИ:
artificial intelligence, academic community, society, attitudes, workforce, management
REFERENCES / ЛИТЕРАТУРА:
- Acemoglu, D. (2021). Harms of Artificial Inteligence. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.3386/w29247
- Arsenijević, J. (2021). Management Systems in Education. Kikinda: College of Vocational Studies for Teacher Education (Sistemi upravljanja u obrazovanju. Kikinda: Visoka škola strukovnih studija za obrazovanje vaspitača).
- Arsenijević, J., & Arsenijević, D. (2024). Artificial Intelligence in Knowledge Management: Emerging Applications and Trends. In: Knowledge Management in Economy, Technology and Education, Perić, N. and Arsenijević, O. (Eds.) (pp. 3-25). Book Serie Socioeconomics, Research, Innovation and Technologies (SERITHA). RITHA Publishing. https://doi.org/10.57017/2024.SERITHA.KM-ETE.ch1
- Carrasco, M., Mills, S., Whybrew, A. & Jura A. (2019). The citizenʼs perspective on the use of AI in government. BCG digital government benchmarking. Boston consulting Group. https://www.bcg.com/publications/2019/citizen-perspective-use-artificial-intelligence-government-digital- benchmarking.aspx
- Chui, M., Manyika, J. & Miremadi, M. (2016). Where machines could replace humans—and where they canʼt (yet). McKinsey Quarterly, 30(2), 1-9. Elsevier (2024). Insights 2024: Attitudes toward AI full report. https://assets.ctfassets.net/o78em1y1w4i4/6BWRibyJNQLYkKWwKw7SVf/64c04b53ca9cc0795ac811f583f7 eebb/Insights_2024_Attitudes_To_AI_Full_Report.pdf
- Fenech, M., Strukelj, N. & Buston, O. (2018). Ethical, social and political challenges of artificial intelligence in health. http://futureadvocacy.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/1804_26_FA_ETHICS_08-DIGITAL.pdf
- Frey, C. B., & Osborne, M. A. (2017). The future of employment: How susceptible are jobs to computerisation? Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 114, 254–280. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2016.08.019
- Garrote Jurado, R., Pettersson, T., & Zwierewicz, M. (2023). Students’ attitudes to the use of artificial intelligence. University of Borås. Available from https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1815616/FULLTEXT01.pdf
- Government of the Republic of Serbia. (2019). Artificial Intelligence Development Strategy in the Republic of Serbia for the period 2020-2025. Ministry of Education, Science, and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia. Retrieved from https://www.srbija.gov.rs/tekst/437277
- Heezen, S. (2024). Trust in artificial intelligence across generations. Master thesis. Utrecht University. Retrieved from https://studenttheses.uu.nl/bitstream/handle/20.500.12932/45178/Master%20Thesis%20-%20Sophie%20Heezen%20-%20Final.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
- Hirsch-Kreinsen, H. (2023). Artificial intelligence: a “promising technology.” AI & Society, 39(4), 1641– 1652. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-023-01629-w
- Katsantonis, A., & Katsantonis, I. G. (2024). University Students’ Attitudes toward Artificial Intelligence: An Exploratory Study of the Cognitive, Emotional, and Behavioral Dimensions of AI Attitudes. Education Sciences, 14(9), 988. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14090988
- Koenig, P. D. (2024). Attitudes toward artificial intelligence: combining three theoretical perspectives on technology acceptance. AI & Society. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-024-01987-z
- Krägeloh, C. U., Melekhov, V., Alyami, M. M., & Medvedev, O. N. (2024). Artificial Intelligence Attitudes Inventory (AIAI): Development and validation using RASCH methodology. Research Square (Research Square). https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4403120/v1
- Nikolenko, O., & Astapenko, E. (2023). The attitude of young people to the use of artificial intelligence. E3S Web of Conferences, 460, 05013. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202346005013
- Royal Society Working Group (2017). Machine learning: The power and promise of computers that learn by example. Technical report. https://royalsociety.org/topics-policy/projects/machine-learning/
- Sankhala, S. (2024). Advancements in manufacturing technology for the biotechnology industry: The role of artificial intelligence and emerging trends. International Journal of Current Multidisciplinary Studies, 10(1), 47-56. https://aipublications.com/ijcmp/detail/advancements-in-manufacturing-technology-for-the- biotechnology-industry-the-role-of-artificial-intelligence-and-emerging-trends/
- Schepman, A., & Rodway, P. (2020). Initial validation of the general attitudes towards Artificial Intelligence Scale. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 1, 100014. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbr.2020.100014
- Sindermann, C., Sha, P., Zhou, M., Wernicke, J., Schmitt, H. S., Li, M., Sariyska, R., Stavrou, M., Becker, B., & Montag, C. (2020). Assessing the attitude towards artificial intelligence: Introduction of a short measure in German, Chinese, and English language. KI – Künstliche Intelligenz, 35(1), 109–118 https://doi.org/10.1007/s13218-020-00689-0
- Stein, J., Messingschlager, T., Gnambs, T., Hutmacher, F., & Appel, M. (2024). Attitudes towards AI: measurement and associations with personality. Scientific Reports, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024- 53335-2
- Wang, Y., Fu, E.Y., Zhai, X., Yang, C. & Pei, F. (2024). Introduction of Artificial Intelligence. In: Huang, X., Tam, W.C. (eds) Intelligent Building Fire Safety and Smart Firefighting. Digital Innovations in Architecture, Engineering and Construction. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-48161-1_4
- White, S., Lacey, A. & Ardanaz-Badia, A. (2019). The probability of automation in England: 2011 and 2017. Office for national statistics. https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/articles/th eprobabilityofautomationinengland/2011and2017
- Zhang, B. & Dafoe, A. (2019). Artificial intelligence: American attitudes and trends. Oxford: Center for the Governance of AI, Future of Humanity Institute. https://governanceai.github.io/US-Public-Opinion-Report- Jan-2019/executive-summary.html