Survey: 58% of Americans are Worried About GPT Models Introducing Security Vulnerabilities in Web Applications

Gpt Security Survey
Christina Lewis

Written by: Christina Lewis

Christina Lewis
Christina Lewis

Christina's passion for technology sprouted from her coursework at the University of Florida's web design master's degree program. She has years of experience writing content for mobile apps and for the health technology industry, including companies like U.S. Preventive Medicine. Now, she combines her writing experience with her technical knowledge to craft content that gives value to novice techies and field experts.

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Edited by: Lillian Castro

Lillian Castro
Lillian Castro

Lillian brings more than 30 years of editing and journalism experience to our team. She has written and edited for major news organizations, including The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the New York Times, and she previously served as an adjunct instructor at the University of Florida. Today, she edits HostingAdvice content for clarity, accuracy, and reader engagement.

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HostingAdvice survey reports that 62% of Americans think custom GPT models could replace some human roles in web development.

At the start of 2024, OpenAI launched the GPT Store to offer designers and programmers tools to help them develop web applications.

A new study from HostingAdvice, the online authority on web hosting and developer applications, found that nearly one-fifth of Americans (18%) surveyed design, market, or work with websites and/or mobile applications.

The experts at HostingAdvice wanted to find out how Americans feel about leveraging AI to build web applications, who is using AI tools, and what their concerns are regarding the ethics of using AI.

62% of Americans Think Custom GPT Models May Replace Some Human Roles in Web Development

The survey reveals that most Americans (52%) surveyed are concerned about the ethical implications of using AI in web development.

In addition, nearly 6 in 10 Americans (58%) are worried about the potential for GPT models to introduce security vulnerabilities in web applications. And more than 6 in 10 Americans (62%) think custom GPT models have the potential to replace some human roles in web development.

Security vulnerabilities pie chart

16% of Americans Have Used a Custom GPT Model for Web Development

Many web developers are already on board and using AI tools. The survey found that more than one-quarter of Americans (26%) surveyed have or plan to visit the new OpenAI GPT store, and 16% have already used a custom GPT model for a web development project or tasks such as coding, wireframing, and page design.

Of those, the applications they found most helpful in using a custom GPT assistant are:

  • 49% — Automated testing scripts
  • 48% — Content generation
  • 46% — Language translation services
  • 43% — Automated coding assistance
  • 32% — Wireframing/design
Bar chart of applications most helpful in using a custom GPT assistant.

Additionally, 19% of survey respondents plan to use a custom GPT for web development tasks in the future, and 23% have found custom GPT models more effective than traditional coding methods in certain aspects of web development.

25% of Americans Use AI/GPT Writing Tools Such as Grammarly

The survey also discovered that one-quarter of Americans surveyed use AI/GPT writing tools such as Grammarly to help improve their professional communications, but for those who do not:

  • 49% prefer to use other tools
  • 27% have privacy concerns
  • 24% are not comfortable giving full keyboard access

Despite the significant adoption of AI/GPT writing tools by the general public, some skepticism about its safety and security remains.

The Future of Integrating AI Tools

While many people will certainly have concerns for AI ethics, as well as the security of products developed with AI, the future is bright for tools that make our jobs easier and more productive.

Despite major advancements in recent years, these tools still have a long way to go before they maximize their potential in real-world applications. The key will be finding ways to use AI safely and responsibly to improve productivity rather than to replace human roles in web development.

Methodology

A national online survey of 1,015 U.S. consumers, ages 18 and older, was conducted by Propeller Insights on behalf of HostingAdvice.com in February of 2024. Survey responses were nationally representative of the U.S. population for age, gender, region, and ethnicity. The maximum margin of sampling error was +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.

About the Author

Christina Lewis
Christina Lewis

Christina Lewis leverages her background in mass communications, technology, and web design to make the hosting industry accessible to all readers. As a frontend web developer with a Master's of Communications degree in web design from the University of Florida, she values succinct, actionable content that gives value to novice techies and field experts. When she's not crafting evergreen content for HostingAdvice.com, she's designing and building websites to stay up to date with development best practices.

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