Text-to-Image Generation: Perceptions and Realities

Abstract: Generative AI is an emerging technology that will have a profound impact on society and individuals. Only a decade ago, it was thought that creative work would be among the last to be automated - yet today, we see AI encroaching on creative domains. In this paper, we present the key findings of a survey study on people's perceptions of text-to-image generation. We touch on participants' technical understanding of the emerging technology, their ideas for potential application areas, as well as concerns, risks, and dangers of text-to-image generation to society and the individual. The study found that participants were aware of the risks and dangers associated with the technology, but only few participants considered the technology to be a risk to themselves. Additionally, those who had tried the technology rated its future importance lower than those who had not.