A recent survey conducted by Oman's National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) found that 43 percent of Omanis have used artificial intelligence (AI) tools or applications, with the majority reporting improvements in their daily tasks. The study, published on October 25, sought to assess public awareness, usage patterns, motivations, and trust in AI technologies across the country.

According to the survey results, 42.9 percent of respondents indicated direct experience with AI, and 68 percent of these users employ the technology regularly, either daily or several times a week. Usage rates were notably higher among younger individuals aged 18 to 29, at 54 percent, among employed participants at 55 percent, and among those holding qualifications above the General Education Diploma (GED), where adoption reached 83 percent.

Among AI applications, chat programs were the most frequently used, adopted by 89 percent of users, followed by smart phone features at 53 percent and content or product recommendation apps at 51 percent. Users reported multiple purposes for AI use, including information searching (74 percent), task completion (65 percent), and everyday functions like translation and image processing (58 percent).

The primary motivation for engaging with AI tools was to save time and effort, cited by 53 percent of respondents. Other reasons included enhancing learning and understanding (20 percent), improving quality of work and results (16.6 percent), and using AI to assist in decision-making (6.5 percent).

While the majority of users found AI helpful, trust in AI-generated information remains cautious. Two-thirds (66 percent) described their confidence in AI outputs as moderate, and 69 percent regularly cross-check AI-generated information with other sources. Only 4.6 percent reported complete reliance on AI answers without verification.

Privacy concerns were a significant issue among users, with 46 percent highlighting worries about data leakage and privacy breaches. This was followed by concerns over inaccurate or misleading AI-generated content, cited by 18 percent. Despite these apprehensions, 36 percent of users admitted to sharing personal data or private photos with AI tools.

The survey also revealed disparities in AI knowledge among Omanis. Sixteen percent reported having good knowledge of AI tools, while 20 percent had moderate understanding and 22 percent limited knowledge. Notably, 42 percent stated they had no familiarity with AI. Awareness was closely linked to education and age, with 95.8 percent of participants holding qualifications above the GED recognizing the term "artificial intelligence," compared to just 33.6 percent of individuals aged 50 and above.