From Locus of Control to Fear: How Intolerance of Uncertainty Shapes Young Arab Adults’ Perceptions of Artificial Intelligence

Abstract

Background: This cross-sectional study examines whether intolerance of uncertainty (IU) is indirectly associated with the relationship between internal and external locus of control (LoC) and fear of autonomous robots and artificial intelligence (FARAI) in a convenience sample of Arabic-speaking adults from four Arab countries. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in July 2023, including 1849 participants with an average age of 21.37 years, of whom 74.3% were females. Data were collected using a distributed Google Form link. Results: The results indicated that prospective anxiety was indirectly associated with the relationship between internal LoC and fear of AI. A greater internal LoC was associated with increased prospective anxiety, which, in turn, was strongly correlated with greater FARAI scores. Internal LoC was not directly related to FARAI scores. Similarly, inhibitory anxiety was indirectly associated with the relationship between internal LoC and FARAI. Greater internal LoC strongly correlated with lower inhibitory anxiety, whereas greater inhibitory anxiety strongly correlated with greater FARAI scores. Again, no direct relationship was found between internal LoC and FARAI scores. Inhibitory anxiety was indirectly associated with the relationship between external LoC and FARAI; greater external LoC correlated with greater inhibitory anxiety, which was correlated with greater FARAI scores. External LoC was not directly related to FARAI scores. Conclusion: IU, through both prospective and inhibitory anxiety, was indirectly associated with the relation between LoC and FARAI. Because the design was cross-sectional, these findings represent associations rather than causal effects, and several of the indirect associations were small in magnitude. Tackling these forms of anxiety in young adults could be one avenue worth exploring for managing AI-related fears.