Generative AI use is no longer a single headline number—it’s a bundle of everyday behaviors. Some people use AI like a search engine, others like a creative partner, others for writing help or images, and a smaller (but notable) group uses it for companionship.
Below is a list of AI usage statistics that take into account original surveys, official statistics agencies, peer‑reviewed research, and company-reported product metrics.
AI usage statistics at a glance
United States: 60% of U.S. adults say they’ve used AI to search for information.
European Union: 32.7% of people (16–74) used generative AI tools last year.
UK: In the UK, 41% of online adults (16+) say they used a generative AI tool in the past year..
Global: GenAI adoption reached 16.3% of the world’s population in H2 2025.
ChatGPT scale: OpenAI reports 700 million weekly active users.
Gemini scale: Google reports the Gemini app has 750M+ monthly active users.
Youth adoption (US): In a study of 6,488 youths ages 4–17, about a third used GenAI apps; ~50% among ages 15–17.
How many people use AI?
The most useful way to think about “AI usage” is that it’s now measurable at multiple layers:
General-purpose AI tools (chatbots, image generators)
AI behaviors (using AI for searching, brainstorming, learning)
Platforms/products (ChatGPT, Gemini, etc.)
Here’s what the data says across regions.
United States: ChatGPT is mainstream, but not universal
Pew Research Center found that 34% of U.S. adults have used ChatGPT, which is “about double” the 2023 share; use is especially high among younger adults.
Some of the most telling numbers aren’t just about adoption — they’re about non‑adoption:
66% of Americans have not used ChatGPT.
20% say they’ve heard nothing about it.
That gap matters for anyone writing about AI: usage growth is real, but so is the “AI not for me” segment.
European Union: one in three people used generative AI tools
Eurostat reports that 32.7% of people aged 16–74 in the EU used generative AI tools in 2025.
And importantly, Eurostat’s breakdown shows usage is heavily consumer‑led:
25.1% used generative AI tools for personal purposes
9.4% used them for formal education
Eurostat also shows how uneven adoption is across EU countries. In 2025, usage was highest in:
Denmark: 48.4%
Estonia: 46.6%
Malta: 46.5%
…and lowest in:
Romania: 17.8%
Italy: 19.9%
Bulgaria: 22.5%
United Kingdom: kids are ahead of adults on generative AI exposure
Ofcom’s UK research paints a simple picture: generative AI tools are already routine for many kids.
54% of online 8–15-year-olds used a genAI tool in the past year
41% of online adults (16+) used a genAI tool in the past year
Ofcom also reports 29% of online adults (16+) used a generative AI tool in the past month.
What do people use AI for?
A year ago, “AI usage” often meant “chatting with a bot.” Now it means a spread of tiny daily assists, such as search, ideas, writing, images, and entertainment.
The “everyday AI” stack in the U.S.
AP‑NORC asked Americans about eight common uses. The top activities are consumer‑centric:
60%: using AI to search for information
40%: idea generation
34%: writing emails
33%: creating or editing images
30%: entertainment
26%: shopping
16%: companionship
Notice what’s happening here: AI isn’t one habit; it’s becoming a multi-tool, and people mix tasks depending on mood and need.
Learning and entertainment: ChatGPT’s big non-work uses
Pew’s U.S. survey shows sizable “personal” use cases for ChatGPT:
26% of U.S. adults have used ChatGPT to learn something new
22% have used it for entertainment
Among adults under 30, Pew reports even higher:
46% have used it to learn something new
42% have used it for entertainment
In the UK, fun and curiosity are major AI drivers
Ofcom reports that among UK internet users (16+) who use generative AI tools, a major motivation is simply enjoyment. 48% said they use genAI “for fun,” and 23% said they use it for learning, studying, or information seeking.
How often do people use AI?
Adoption tells you “who tried it.” Frequency tells you “who formed a habit.”
AP‑NORC finds that among adults who use AI:
28% use AI to search for information at least several times a day
11% do so about once a day
And for idea generation:
22% use AI to generate ideas at least several times a day
13% do so about once a day
That’s the difference between novelty and muscle memory: for a meaningful subset, AI is already a daily behavior.
AI usage by age: the adoption curve starts young
In the U.S., younger adults lead ChatGPT adoption
58% of adults under 30 have used ChatGPT
41% ages 30–49
25% ages 50–64
10% ages 65+
Pew also reports a clear growth curve for under‑30s: 33% (2023) → 43% (2024) → 58% (2025).
Children and teens: generative AI is already part of the media diet
A large U.S. cohort study in JAMA (n = 6,488 youth ages 4–17) estimated:
31.9% used generative AI apps overall.
By age:
50.4% (15–17)
42.0% (13–14)
20.5% (10–12)
9.4% (8–9)
The same study estimated generative AI app use intensity at:
Mean daily use: 2.37 minutes
Median daily use: 0.18 minutes
That combination is striking: many youth have tried genAI apps, but daily time-on-app is still low for the average child — at least in this dataset.
Teens and AI “companions”: a different kind of usage
Common Sense Media’s report on teen AI companions found:
72% of teens have used AI companions
52% are regular users
13% use them daily
And sentiment is mixed:
50% of teens say they don’t trust what AI companions tell them
23% say they do trust them
Which AI tools are people using most?
When you zoom out, AI usage isn’t just “some generic AI.” It’s often concentrated in a handful of products.
ChatGPT: huge scale, and a major share among youth users
OpenAI reports 700 million weekly active users for ChatGPT.
In the JAMA youth study, ChatGPT also appears dominant within genAI app usage:
25.2% of the full youth sample used ChatGPT
78.8% of generative AI app users used ChatGPT
And in Ofcom’s UK survey data, ChatGPT was the most used genAI tool (37%) among UK online adults (16+) in the period studied.
Gemini: rapid growth in monthly active users
Alphabet reported the Gemini app has grown to over 750 million monthly active users (as of its Q4 2025 results communication).
A surprising AI usage statistic: mental health advice
Not all AI usage is “search and fun.” Some of it is deeply personal.
A nationally representative U.S. survey study in JAMA Network Open (youth ages 12–21) found:
13.1% reported using generative AI for mental health advice
Among ages 18–21, that rose to 22.2%
Among those users:
65.5% sought advice monthly or more often
92.7% found the advice somewhat or very helpful
The paper also translates prevalence into population impact: about 5.4 million U.S. youths (in the represented group) used genAI for mental health advice.
Why many people still don’t use generative AI
If AI is everywhere, why isn’t usage close to 100%?
Awareness gaps still exist.
Pew reports:
79% of Americans have heard at least a little about ChatGPT
34% have heard a lot
But that still leaves a meaningful group outside the conversation:
20% say they’ve heard nothing about ChatGPT
“No need” beats fear, in EU self-reports
Eurostat’s Statistics Explained summary of the EU ICT survey shows that among people who did not use generative AI tools, the top reason was straightforward:
39%: “no need”
8%: lack of knowledge on how to use
5%: didn’t know the tools exist
4%: privacy/security concerns
That’s a big signal for writers and marketers: for many people, the hurdle isn’t panic — it’s relevance.
What these AI usage statistics suggest for the future
Put the sources side by side and a pattern emerges:
AI is already a consumer behavior (searching, ideas, images, entertainment).
“One in three” adoption levels are appearing in major regions (EU, OECD), with higher exposure among younger groups.
Kids and teens are early adopters — but often in short bursts (minutes per day), not necessarily long sessions.
Trust and skepticism are baked in, especially among teens.
The leading products are scaling fast, with company-reported user bases in the hundreds of millions.
FAQs
What percentage of people use AI?
It depends on region and definition, but examples include 32.7% (EU, ages 16–74, 2025) and more than one-third (OECD, 2025).
What are the most common ways people use AI?
In U.S. polling, the top reported use was AI to search for information (60%), followed by idea generation (40%), and then writing/image/entertainment use cases.
How many Americans have used ChatGPT?
Pew reports 34% of U.S. adults have used ChatGPT (Feb–Mar 2025).
Is AI adoption equal across countries?
No. The EU ranges from about 48% usage in some countries to under 20% in others (2025), and Microsoft describes a widening Global North–Global South divide in adoption growth.