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Despite the media hype and contentious debate surrounding generative artificial intelligence technologies, there is a dearth of research on how these technologies are perceived by the general public. This study aimed to bridge this gap by investigating (a) how people perceive the risks and benefits of ChatGPT and (b) the antecedents of such perceptions. A U.S. national survey (N = 1,004) found that individuals with higher education levels, interest in politics, knowledge about ChatGPT, leftist ideology, a sense of personal relevance, and a skeptical view of science tend to perceive greater risks associated with ChatGPT. These results challenge the conventional “knowledge deficit” model, suggesting that negative perceptions of technology are not merely a result of insufficient knowledge; such perceptions can also stem from a critical mindset that approaches artificial intelligence technology with caution. In contrast, individuals who have previously used ChatGPT, regard it as personally relevant to their lives, and show a keen interest in new media technologies in general tend to recognize its benefits. These patterns suggest that risk perceptions involve more complex cognitive information processing, while benefit perceptions often arise from relatively intuitive decision-making processes. Our findings underscore the vital role of science communication and education in facilitating informed discussions about the risks and benefits of emerging technologies like ChatGPT.