AI

AI use is mainstream among consumers

Photo: Generated by AI. Adobe Stock.

January 13, 2026

A hefty number of consumers, 70%, are using AI in their personal lives and nearly half, 45%, are using it daily compared to half that just nine months ago.

Those are findings from the Bain & Company's Consumer Lab AI survey that also revealed most consumers trust Gen AI for research, according to a press release.

Additional findings include:

• 58% of Gen AI users use AI for shopping advice and decision support. This usage is highest among millennials (63%) and Gen Z (59%).
• 17% of online shoppers will start holiday shopping with an AI platform such as ChatGPT or Perplexity (52% of millennials). 30% will start with AI-enabled Google.
• U.S. consumers trust AI most for lower-stakes use cases: 58% use it for shopping recommendations (second behind research).