If you had to give yourself an old-fashioned letter grade as part of a self-assessment of just how well you think you understand artificial intelligence (AI), how would you rate yourself?
Would you be a self-described AI expert sitting at the front of the class with the other A-students?
Or would you be more middle of the pack, holding down a B-average, with a good understanding of AI but with some room to grow?
Or do you think you'd be giving yourself a failing grade and figuring out how you would hide the report card from your parents?
According to the results of a recent survey of 2,500 Canadians conducted on behalf of TD, roughly four out of every five survey respondents gave themselves a grade of C or below when it came to their knowledge of AI.
Indeed, the 2025 TD AI Insights Report asked survey respondents to self-assess their AI knowledge, asking them to rate their skills in “using AI efficiently and effectively.” Maybe it’s the modest Canadian sensibility, but survey respondents tended to be tough graders of themselves.
A whopping 21% gave themselves a grade of 'F,' while a further 18% assigned themselves a 'D' grade. In the middle, 40% of respondents gave themselves a middling 'C.'
On the other end of the spectrum, 18% of respondents gave themselves a 'B' grade for their AI knowledge, but only 3% were confident enough to assign themselves the highest grade, an 'A.'
The findings come at a time when the public is familiarizing itself with the rapidly growing AI field and point to a confidence gap, according to Luke Gee, Chief Analytics & AI Officer, TD Bank Group.
"It's completely understandable that in such a rapidly growing field, there's a confidence gap," Gee said.
"What this tells me is that there's a real opportunity for organizations like TD to help close that gap. At TD, we are committed to building AI that’s aligned with human values with our award-winning Trustworthy AI approach as our bedrock. With our approach, we believe we can help play a leadership role in helping to build trust in Canadians when it comes to AI."
Generation X respondents lead in AI understanding
The 2025 TD AI Insights Report also uncovered that older generations tended to know more about AI than they might give themselves credit for, despite the perception among those surveyed that younger generations – Gen Z and Alpha – were the most AI-savvy.
Survey respondents were asked 10 objective questions to test their knowledge of AI. The poll found that on the measure of the percentage of people who correctly answered eight or more questions, older generations did better: Gen X (44%) and Millennials (42%) statistically tied for the lead, while Boomers (36%) surprisingly outperformed Gen Z (32%).
Commissioned by TD and conducted by the polling company Ipsos, the poll surveyed 2,500 Canadians about their views on AI. It included questions about how respondents assess their own knowledge of the subject, how they use AI, and their sentiment towards it.
AI confidence is modest
Part of this lack of confidence correlates with a lack of familiarity with the technology, Gee said.
While 87% of Canadians surveyed say they are comfortable using technology in general, familiarity with AI specifically remains limited, with many survey respondents (40%) being unfamiliar with its applications.
Of those, younger generations, including Gen Z (83%) and Millennials (71%), were more likely to self-report that they are more familiar with AI than were older generations surveyed, such as Gen X (61%) and Boomers (38%).
In other words, while older generations like Boomers and Gen X outperformed Gen Z on the objective test, they remain less familiar with the technology in spite of this knowledge.
"Improving the customer experience, including by using AI, is our North star," Gee said. "That also means building trust and familiarity with our customers, because growing AI is a journey that needs to be taken together."