Faculty members from the Department of Sociology at the Faculty of Croatian Studies, University of Zagreb, participated in the international research workshop AI and the Future: Challenges, Perspectives, Research Opportunities, held on 24 and 25 September at IEDC – Bled School of Management in Slovenia. In two presentations, they shared analyses conducted as part of the project Dimensions of Digital Inclusion and Exclusion in Croatian Society (DIGI-HR).

Assistant Professor Erik Brezovec presented AI Use and Digital Vulnerability: Perceived Independence, Participation and Social Well-Being, co-authored with Katarina Jelić from the Department of Psychology. The authors examined how AI use relates to digital vulnerability, opportunities for social participation, and social well-being. Their analysis draws on a survey of 1,083 adults in Croatia. According to the findings presented, 44.3% of respondents reported using text-generating AI in everyday life, with use considerably more common among younger age groups.

The presentation also raised the question of what it means to be independent of digital tools. Brezovec pointed out that feeling independent does not, in itself, show whether a person has equal opportunities to access information and services or participate in society. Digital vulnerability must, therefore, be considered in the context of material circumstances, available skills, and actual opportunities for participation.

Assistant Professor Marija Zelić presented Who Uses AI? Age Differences in Access, Confidence, Affordability, and Use, co-authored with Assistant Professor Ana-Marija Dunaj. Drawing on DIGI-HR data, they analyzed how age and education relate to the use of AI tools, as well as age differences in access to devices, the ability to afford them, and self-reported digital skills.

The findings show that text-generating AI is used most often by younger age groups. At the same time, lower rates of use among older adults do not mean that those who do use these tools lack confidence in their abilities. Zelić emphasised that understanding digital inclusion requires distinguishing between access to technology, digital skills, and actual use. Differences in social well-being between AI users and non-users cannot, on the basis of these findings, be attributed to AI use itself.

The workshop brought together researchers from several countries to discuss social and professional changes associated with AI and to develop new research questions and opportunities for collaboration.