A survey of more than 2000 members of the public by WMB Logistics has found that 40% of people are scared by current and predicted advances in technology while only a third are excited by them.

According to the research the five scariest advances in technology were conscious machines (30%) self-driving lorries (24%), virtual home assistants (21%), virtual reality (13%), self-driving cars (9%).

In a demographic breakdown the WMB Logistics survey found that Baby Boomers were the most concerned (33%) followed by the Silent Generation (23%), Millennials (20%), Generation Z (15%) and finally Generation X (9%).

When asked what it was that scared them about conscious machines, the top responses were found to be ‘they’ll eventually have a mind of their own’ (47 per cent) and ‘they’ll end up replacing humans in work and other areas’ (29 per cent).

When asked what worried them about self-driving lorries, respondents cited ‘I don’t trust that they’ll be reliable and as quick to react as a human would’ (62 per cent).