“We are rapidly moving into the post-industrial age, when we must redefine what is ‘productive’ work, as more and more jobs are being replaced by automation, robotics, and artificial intelligence.”

—Riane Eisler, Author and Scientist

Why People Stop Using AI (Even When It Works)

A new multi-phase study from researchers at BYU and the University of Georgia explored a surprisingly underreported angle: why people with AI access and experience choose not to use it. The findings are a must-read for any leader rolling out GenAI inside a dealership or across a team.

The Top Reasons People Ditch AI

The research identified eight key concerns, but three stood out as the most frequent drivers of non-use:

• Output Quality (20.8%): Users cited inaccurate, unoriginal, or poorly formatted responses as major blockers.

• Ethical Concerns (17.3%): Many feared plagiarism, dishonesty, or misuse—especially in contexts where authenticity matters.

• Loss of Human Connection (16.0%): Users reported that AI interactions often felt impersonal, artificial, or disconnected from real relationships.

Despite high adoption rates (like ChatGPT reaching 100M users faster than any tech in history), consistent use often drops off once people experience these issues.

Context Matters

Participants of the study evaluated their likelihood of using AI across 20 everyday scenarios, from writing a eulogy to making major life decisions.

Where people were least likely to use AI:

• Educational Tasks: Citing concerns around cheating, originality, and skill loss.

• Creative Projects: Discomfort over claiming AI-generated work as one’s own.

• High-Risk Scenarios: Like medical or financial advice, where accuracy is critical.

• Interpersonal Messages: Such as condolences or wedding toasts where the emotional tone is highly nuanced.

Across all of these, the fear of losing “human touch” and violating ethical norms drove avoidance, regardless of whether the AI was technically capable.

It’s Not Just the Tech

One of the most powerful predictors of non-use? A need for connectedness.

People who placed high value on human interaction were consistently less likely to use GenAI, even when they had the skills and access. That trait alone had a stronger statistical impact than technical fears or AI anxiety.

And here’s the kicker: privacy concerns showed split behavior. General privacy worries predicted higher use, while specific concerns about online data or digital habits drove people away from AI tools.

The Bottom Line

If AI tools feel impersonal or ethically murky, people will drop them no matter how good the tech is.

For managers, the takeaway is clear: rollout isn’t just about functionality. It’s about trust, transparency, and helping your team see where AI fits without replacing what matters.

Do your AI-generated visuals keep missing the mark? The problem may be your prompt.

To fix it, start by asking ChatGPT to describe a visual scene based on your idea—down to the composition, tone, lighting, and brand feel. Don’t forget to include an art style reference to help guide the look (get as specific as possible, this guide can help).

For example:

Then, review the description. Ask ChatGPT to suggest variations or refine specific elements, like adding more signage, changing the time of day, or swapping illustration styles. Confirm it understands the updates, then prompt it to generate the image based on that updated description.

Asking the AI to first “think in visuals” helps clarify what you actually want. You’ll catch missing details earlier, explore creative directions faster, and get outputs that match the vision in your head—not just the words in your prompt.

• Management & Operations: Project Mariner
  Brought to us by Google DeepMind is their new AI-powered browser agent that automates complex web tasks (think form-filling, data entry, and online research, etc.) by interpreting and interacting with web content in real time. Great for streamlining repetitive online workflows.
  

• Marketing & Advertising: Raleon
  Designed specifically for e-commerce and loyalty programs, Raleon aims to simplify campaign planning and retention marketing. It uses AI to sort your customer data and create personalized outreach so teams can move faster and smarter.

• Content Creation: Modify Video
  From Luma AI comes a game-changer for content creators: effortlessly transform existing video into entirely new scenes—no reshoots needed, just your original footage and a prompt. Perfect for dealerships looking to stretch creative assets without stretching budgets.
  

At ASOTU CON 2025, EVs for Everyone podcast host Elena Ciccotelli moderated a candid panel with Evan Driscoll (Audi Jacksonville), Jarrod Kilway (Casa Auto Group), and Danielle Mills Walden (Upstart) focused on real-world AI applications in retail auto.

They covered how AI is handling lead follow-up, expanding financing opportunities, and even helping sales teams sharpen their messaging by learning what actually drives engagement. The tech isn’t replacing people—it’s catching the things that fall through the cracks.

Watch the full panel replay here to see what’s working, what to watch for, and how your store can get ahead with a little help from AI.

• Apple’s new Live Translation can translate conversations on the fly for Messages, FaceTime, and phone calls. 💬

• ChatGPT can now connect to file-sharing platforms like Google Drive and Dropbox to search for answers about stored spreadsheets and documents. 🔗

• To help prevent cheating, Chinese AI companies have temporarily paused some of their chatbot features during nationwide college exams. 📵