About half of American adults now use AI chatbots, up sharply from one-third in the summer of 2024, according to a Pew Research Center survey published June 17, 2026. The survey found 49 percent of US adults reporting chatbot use, with ChatGPT as the most popular tool at 44 percent. Alongside this surge, the AI industry is consuming enormous resources — OpenAI alone spent $34 billion in 2025, and a separate survey found workers now spend over 6 hours a week managing AI tools rather than being helped by them.
Despite the widespread use, the survey found deep skepticism about AI’s societal impact: just 16 percent of Americans believe AI will have a positive impact on society. The gap between behavioral adoption and attitudinal trust is one of the survey’s most striking findings.
Who Is Using AI Chatbots
| Age Group | AI Chatbot Usage Rate |
|---|---|
| 18-29 years old | 66% |
| 30-49 years old | 61% |
| 50-64 years old | 42% |
| 65+ years old | 23% |
Adoption is highest among younger adults: 66 percent of Americans aged 18 to 29 use AI chatbots. The rate declines with age, with 61 percent of 30 to 49 year olds using them, 42 percent of those aged 50 to 64, and 23 percent of those 65 and older.
How People Are Using AI Chatbots
The most common use case is information search: 42 percent of chatbot users say they use AI as a replacement for or supplement to traditional search engines. This shift is creating legal exposure for AI providers — a German court ruled Google liable for false AI Overview answers in a landmark 2026 decision. Meanwhile, the information ecosystem is being further distorted by companies paying to plant fake Reddit posts that shape what AI search tools tell users.
Other major use cases include writing assistance, coding help, learning and education, and creative projects. The survey found that users who rely on AI for search tend to use it more frequently than those using it primarily for writing or creativity.
The Trust Gap
Only 16 percent of Americans believe AI will have a positive impact on society according to the June 2026 Pew survey. This is strikingly low for a technology that nearly half the adult population now uses regularly. The dominant sentiment is a mixture of concern and resignation: AI is becoming part of daily life, but most Americans are not optimistic about what that means at a societal level.
Areas of specific concern cited by respondents include job displacement, AI-generated misinformation, privacy risks from data collection, and the concentration of AI power in a small number of large technology companies. Despite the skepticism, AI’s capabilities continue to expand in high-stakes domains — a Harvard study found AI outperforms emergency room doctors in medical diagnosis, a finding that adds urgency to the societal debate about AI’s role.
Comparison to Other Technology Adoption Rates
Moving from 33 percent to 49 percent of US adult adoption in approximately two years is a remarkably fast uptake curve. For comparison, smartphone adoption took roughly five years to move from one-third to one-half of US adults (roughly 2012 to 2017). Social media took approximately four years to cross the same threshold. AI chatbot adoption appears to be tracking faster than either previous technology wave.
Frequently Asked Questions
What percentage of Americans use AI chatbots in 2026?
According to a Pew Research Center survey published June 17, 2026, approximately 49 percent of American adults use AI chatbots, up from 33 percent in the summer of 2024. ChatGPT is the most widely used chatbot at 44 percent of US adults. Usage is highest among 18 to 29 year olds at 66 percent and lowest among those 65 and older at 23 percent.
Do Americans trust AI in 2026?
No. Despite nearly half of Americans using AI chatbots, only 16 percent believe AI will have a positive impact on society according to the June 2026 Pew Research survey. The majority express concern about job displacement, AI-generated misinformation, privacy risks, and power concentration among a small number of large technology companies.
What do people use AI chatbots for most?
The most common use case for AI chatbots among US adults is information search, with 42 percent of chatbot users saying they use AI as a search engine replacement or supplement. Other major uses include writing assistance, coding help, education and learning, and creative projects.
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