More Than Hype? What Bulgarians Think About AI

Are we impressed by AI’s rapid progress - or overwhelmed? Is it part of our daily lives, or still something abstract and distant? Do we greet its next big leaps with excitement… or caution? And more importantly: do we believe AI will reshape our world?

In September 2024, we sought to move beyond speculation - and into real data.

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Inside the Survey: What 750 Bulgarians Think

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Over a two-week period, 750 participants took part in an anonymous survey hosted on the Digital Stories website. They were asked to rate their agreement with 20 statements about artificial intelligence - answering only the ones they felt comfortable with.

The results were clear - and, in some ways, surprising.

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Key Insights

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• Admiration is real. Most respondents are genuinely impressed by the speed and scope of AI’s evolution.
• Skepticism exists - but doesn’t dominate. Many believe AI is overhyped in marketing, yet still see it as a net positive force in society.
• One insight stood out: While the majority do not believe AI is primarily designed to manipulate or control them... Over 20% do. That’s not a marginal number. It speaks to growing tension between trust and uncertainty.
• Curiosity is high. Conversation is not. People want to know more. They want to discuss AI’s impact. But meaningful public dialogue on ethics, responsibility, and long-term consequences remains scarce.

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Risks vs. Opportunities: Still Unresolved

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The big questions - the ones about power, accountability, bias, and control - are still lingering, often unanswered.

What we found was not a clear consensus.

It was a mirror: reflecting the hopes, concerns, and conflicts many of us carry as AI becomes increasingly integrated into our daily lives.

The hype may be real. But so is the hesitation.

Let’s move the conversation from headlines to reflection. What do you believe about AI - and how deeply have you questioned it?

You can read the whole article full of statistics, auto-translated, here, and here – the original text in Bulgarian.

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About the author – I published my first “newspaper” at six years old and have been telling stories ever since. After studying Journalism at Sofia University, I spent over a decade writing for 24 Chasa and Sписание 8, where I later became Deputy Editor-in-Chief. In 2016, I published my debut novel, And While the Rays Are Born, and have since continued exploring the ways technology shapes our lives — both as a journalist and as a JavaScript developer.

Over the years, my work has earned multiple Web Report Awards for tech journalism and recognition from the Bulgarian Association of Information Technologies. In 2023, I published my second book, 32 Digital Stories. When I’m not writing or coding, you’ll likely find me winning quizzes, editing books, or laughing with my two sons.

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