Consumers Get Most Excited About Familiar Technologies

For many consumers, tried-and-true devices are more exciting than the latest gadgets.

In a May 2018 survey of 1,000 US adults conducted by Intel and PSB Research, many expressed more excitement toward familiar products like computers and smartphones than emerging technologies like virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI). Respondents were the least thrilled about drones and autonomous vehicles.

“It’s hard to fathom going a day without using a computer or a smartphone, both of which will undoubtedly continue to evolve along with other technologies,” said Genevieve Bell, senior fellow at Intel. “But newer, emerging technologies like AI and 5G are abstract, and harder to grasp, likely leading to anxiety around what they may bring.”

That's not to say excitement for new tech isn't there at all. It's just somewhat split. About half of those polled said they are excited about emerging technologies, while almost as many (40%) felt that new technologies will create as many problems as they try to solve.

The survey respondents predicted that the technologies that excite them most—smartphones, computers and smart home devices—will be the most important technologies in society 50 years from now. Nearly three-fourths of respondents believed that AI will be important in the next half-century.