Generative AI Statistics 2026: Adoption, Work, Investment and ChatGPT Use
54.6% of US adults aged 18 to 64 used generative AI in August 2025, up from 44.6% a year earlier, according to the St. Louis Fed. In the EU, 32.7% of people aged 16 to 74 used it in 2025, according to Eurostat. Worldwide, Microsoft puts use at 18.8% of working-age people in June 2026. Investors put $170.9 billion of private money into generative AI in 2025, and 95.7% of it went to US companies.
Key statistics
- 54.6% of US adults aged 18 to 64 used generative AI in August 2025, up from 44.6% a year earlier, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
- 32.7% of people aged 16 to 74 in the EU used generative AI tools in the previous 3 months in 2025, according to Eurostat.
- 18.8% of the world working-age population used a generative AI product in June 2026, according to Microsoft AI Economy Institute.
- Global private investment in generative AI reached $170.9 billion in 2025, up over 200% on 2024, according to Stanford HAI AI Index 2026.
- 44% of US adults used ChatGPT in 2026, up from 18% in 2023, according to Pew Research Center.
Generative AI adoption statistics
How many people use generative AI depends on who is asked and how. Each source below measures a different population over a different period, so the figures are shown side by side, not merged.
Generative AI is spreading faster than earlier consumer technologies. Three years after ChatGPT launched, 54.6% of working-age US adults used it. The PC sat at 19.7% three years after the IBM PC, and the internet at 30.1% three years after it opened to the public. That makes generative AI adoption 2.8 times the PC rate at the same stage.
Use is still rising. The St. Louis Fed measure gained 10.0 points in the year to August 2025, a 22.4% rise. Microsoft's worldwide measure rose from 16.3% in the second half of 2025 to 18.8% in June 2026. Daily use is far lower than ever-use, though. Pew finds 49% of US adults ever use chatbots but only 24% use them daily.
The US figure is 21.9 points above the EU figure, but the two are not like-for-like. The St. Louis Fed counts adults aged 18 to 64. Eurostat counts people aged 16 to 74, including many older people with low use, and asks only about the past 3 months. For wider context on AI beyond generative tools, see our AI statistics page.
Sources: St. Louis Fed, Pew Research Center, Eurostat and Microsoft. Definitions differ, see the table above.
-
54.6% of US adults aged 18 to 64 used generative AI in August 2025, up from 44.6% a year earlier, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
-
Generative AI use among US adults aged 18 to 64 rose 22.4% in the year to August 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis data.
How we calculated it: (54.6% in August 2025 / 44.6% in August 2024) - 1 = 22.4%. A gain of 10.0 percentage points.
-
US generative AI adoption three years after ChatGPT was 2.8 times PC adoption at the same stage, 54.6% in 2025 against 19.7% in 1984, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis data.
How we calculated it: 54.6% (generative AI, August 2025) / 19.7% (personal computer, 1984) = 2.77, rounded to 2.8. The internet stood at 30.1% in 1998, so generative AI was 1.8 times that (54.6 / 30.1).
-
49% of US adults ever used AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, Gemini or Copilot in 2026, according to Pew Research Center.
-
24% of US adults used AI chatbots at least daily in 2026, including 4% who used them almost constantly, according to Pew Research Center.
-
32.7% of people aged 16 to 74 in the EU used generative AI tools in the previous 3 months in 2025, according to Eurostat.
-
US adult generative AI adoption was 21.9 percentage points above the EU rate in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from St. Louis Fed and Eurostat data.
How we calculated it: 54.6% (US adults aged 18 to 64, August 2025, St. Louis Fed) - 32.7% (EU people aged 16 to 74, previous 3 months, Eurostat 2025) = 21.9 points. Age ranges and reference periods differ, so treat the gap as indicative.
-
18.8% of the world working-age population used a generative AI product in June 2026, according to Microsoft AI Economy Institute.
-
Worldwide generative AI use rose 2.5 percentage points between the second half of 2025 and June 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Microsoft data.
How we calculated it: 18.8% (Q2 2026) - 16.3% (H2 2025) = 2.5 points, a relative rise of 15.3%.
-
Generative AI reached 53% adoption within three years of launch, faster than the internet or the PC, according to Stanford HAI AI Index 2026, with data to 2025.
-
79% of organisations regularly used generative AI in at least one business function in 2025, up from 71% in 2024, according to Stanford HAI AI Index 2026.
| Source | Population | Period | Share using generative AI |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Fed (Real-Time Population Survey) | US adults aged 18 to 64 | August 2025 | 54.6% |
| St. Louis Fed (Real-Time Population Survey) | US adults aged 18 to 64 | August 2024 | 44.6% |
| Pew Research Center | US adults, ever use AI chatbots | February 2026 | 49% |
| Pew Research Center | US adults, use AI chatbots daily | February 2026 | 24% |
| Eurostat | EU people aged 16 to 74, previous 3 months | 2025 | 32.7% |
| Microsoft AI Economy Institute | World population aged 15 to 64 | June 2026 | 18.8% |
| Stanford AI Index (McKinsey survey) | Organisations, at least one business function | 2025 | 79% |
Generative AI use by age
Age is the clearest dividing line in every survey. Younger people use generative AI far more than older people, in the US and in the EU.
In the EU, 63.8% of people aged 16 to 24 used generative AI tools in 2025, almost double the 32.7% average. Only 7% of those aged 65 to 74 did. On Eurostat's rounded figures, the youngest group is 9.1 times as likely to use the tools as the oldest.
Education drives much of the youth lead. 39.3% of EU 16 to 24 year olds used generative AI for formal education, against 9.4% of all adults. That means 61.6% of young users used it for school or university work. The US pattern is similar. Pew found 58% of adults under 30 had used ChatGPT in 2025, up from 33% in 2023, against 10% of those aged 65 and over.
A gender gap remains. In the EU, 35% of men and 30% of women used generative AI tools in 2025. Education level matters even more. Eurostat reports 49% use among people with high formal education, against 26% for medium and 22% for low.
Source: Pew Research Center, 2025.
-
63.8% of people aged 16 to 24 in the EU used generative AI tools in 2025, according to Eurostat.
-
7% of people aged 65 to 74 in the EU used generative AI tools in 2025, according to Eurostat.
-
EU people aged 16 to 24 were 9.1 times as likely as those aged 65 to 74 to use generative AI in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Eurostat data.
How we calculated it: 64% (aged 16 to 24) / 7% (aged 65 to 74) = 9.1, using the rounded figures in Eurostat Statistics Explained, 2025.
-
39.3% of people aged 16 to 24 in the EU used generative AI for formal education in 2025, against 9.4% of all people aged 16 to 74, according to Eurostat.
-
61.6% of young EU generative AI users used the tools for formal education in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Eurostat data.
How we calculated it: 39.3% (aged 16 to 24 using generative AI for formal education) / 63.8% (aged 16 to 24 using generative AI at all) = 61.6%. Eurostat Statistics Explained rounds this to 62%.
-
58% of US adults under 30 had used ChatGPT in 2025, up from 33% in 2023, according to Pew Research Center.
-
10% of US adults aged 65 and over had used ChatGPT in 2025, against 58% of adults under 30, according to Pew Research Center.
-
57% of US adults under 50 used ChatGPT in 2026, against 28% of those aged 50 and over, according to Pew Research Center.
-
35% of men and 30% of women aged 16 to 74 in the EU used generative AI tools in 2025, according to Eurostat.
| Age group | Share who had used ChatGPT |
|---|---|
| 18 to 29 | 58% |
| 30 to 49 | 41% |
| 50 to 64 | 25% |
| 65 and over | 10% |
| All US adults | 34% |
Generative AI use at work vs outside work
Most early talk about generative AI focused on jobs. The data shows personal use is now the bigger and faster-growing share.
Outside-work use overtook work use in the US. It rose 12.7 points in the year to August 2025, to 48.7%. Work use rose 4.1 points, to 37.4%. Personal use grew 3.1 times as fast. Eurostat sees the same pattern in the EU. 25.1% of people used generative AI for private purposes in 2025, against 15.1% for work.
At work, the tools are being used more heavily, not only by more people. The share of US work hours assisted by generative AI rose from 4.1% in the third quarter of 2024 to 6.3% in the second quarter of 2026, a 53.7% rise. Self-reported time savings reached 2.2% of all work hours.
Sources differ on the work share because they ask different questions. The St. Louis Fed found 39.2% of employed adults used generative AI for work in the past week in mid-2026. Pew found 38% of employed adults use chatbots for tasks at work, and 28% had used ChatGPT specifically for work in 2025, up from 8% in 2023.
Source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
-
48.7% of US adults aged 18 to 64 used generative AI outside work in August 2025, up from 36.0% a year earlier, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
-
37.4% of US adults aged 18 to 64 used generative AI for work in August 2025, up from 33.3% a year earlier, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
-
US generative AI use outside work grew 3.1 times as fast as use at work in the year to August 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from St. Louis Fed data.
How we calculated it: Outside work: 48.7% - 36.0% = +12.7 points. At work: 37.4% - 33.3% = +4.1 points. 12.7 / 4.1 = 3.1.
-
39.2% of employed US adults aged 18 to 64 used generative AI for work in the past week in the second quarter of 2026, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
-
Generative AI assisted 6.3% of US work hours in the second quarter of 2026, up from 4.1% in the third quarter of 2024, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
-
The share of US work hours assisted by generative AI rose 53.7% between the third quarter of 2024 and the second quarter of 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from St. Louis Fed data.
How we calculated it: (6.3% in Q2 2026 / 4.1% in Q3 2024) - 1 = 53.7%.
-
Generative AI saved the equivalent of 2.2% of all US work hours in the second quarter of 2026, up from 1.6% in the third quarter of 2024, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
-
28% of employed US adults had used ChatGPT for work in 2025, up from 8% in 2023, according to Pew Research Center.
-
38% of employed US adults used AI chatbots for tasks at work in 2026, according to Pew Research Center.
-
25.1% of EU people aged 16 to 74 used generative AI for private purposes in 2025 and 15.1% for work, according to Eurostat.
| Use | August 2024 | August 2025 | Change (points) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Any use | 44.6% | 54.6% | +10.0 |
| At work | 33.3% | 37.4% | +4.1 |
| Outside work | 36.0% | 48.7% | +12.7 |
Generative AI investment statistics
Generative AI now takes about half of all private AI investment. Almost all of that money goes to US companies.
Private investment in generative AI reached $170.9 billion in 2025, up over 200% on 2024, according to the AI Index. That is 49.6% of the $344.7 billion invested privately in all AI companies.
The money is highly concentrated. US companies drew $163.6 billion, or 95.7% of the world total. China and Europe together drew $4.7 billion. US generative AI investment was 34.8 times their combined total. These figures cover private investment in AI companies only. The AI Index counts mergers and acquisitions separately.
Source: Stanford HAI, AI Index 2026.
-
Global private investment in generative AI reached $170.9 billion in 2025, up over 200% on 2024, according to Stanford HAI AI Index 2026.
-
US private investment in generative AI was $163.6 billion in 2025, according to Stanford HAI AI Index 2026.
-
China and Europe together drew $4.7 billion of private generative AI investment in 2025, according to Stanford HAI AI Index 2026.
-
US private generative AI investment was 34.8 times that of China and Europe combined in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Stanford HAI AI Index data.
How we calculated it: $163.6 billion (US) / $4.7 billion (China and Europe combined) = 34.8.
| Region | Private investment ($bn) | Share of world total |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 163.6 | 95.7% |
| Europe | 3.21 | 1.9% |
| China | 1.48 | 0.9% |
| World | 170.9 | 100% |
Generative AI use by country
Two sources rank countries. Microsoft estimates use in 147 economies from its own telemetry. Eurostat surveys people in EU member states. They often disagree.
Small, highly digital economies lead Microsoft's ranking. The UAE is first at 73.3% and Singapore second at 64.3%. The US is 21st at 33.0%. The Global North rate of 28.8% is 1.8 times the Global South rate of 16.2%, and Microsoft says the gap widened to 12.6 points in the second quarter of 2026.
Inside the EU, Eurostat finds Denmark highest at 48.4% and Romania lowest at 17.8%, a ratio of 2.7. Estonia (46.6%) and Malta (46.5%) follow Denmark. Italy (19.9%) and Bulgaria (22.5%) sit near the bottom.
The two sources can tell different stories about one country. Eurostat puts Denmark at 48.4%. Microsoft puts it at 32.4%, 16.0 points lower. Eurostat asks people directly. Microsoft infers use from its own device and app telemetry, then adjusts. Use each source within its own scope. For the market share of individual chatbots, see AI chatbot market share.
Source: Microsoft AI Economy Institute, Q2 2026.
-
The United Arab Emirates had the highest generative AI use in the world at 73.3% of working-age people in June 2026, according to Microsoft AI Economy Institute.
-
Singapore ranked second for generative AI use at 64.3% of working-age people in June 2026, according to Microsoft AI Economy Institute.
-
The United Kingdom ranked 8th for generative AI use at 43.7% of working-age people in June 2026, according to Microsoft AI Economy Institute.
-
The United States ranked 21st for generative AI use at 33.0% of working-age people in June 2026, according to Microsoft AI Economy Institute.
-
18.5% of working-age people in India used generative AI in June 2026, against 17.5% in China, according to Microsoft AI Economy Institute.
-
Generative AI use in the Global North was 1.8 times the Global South rate in June 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Microsoft data.
How we calculated it: 28.8% (Global North, Q2 2026) / 16.2% (Global South, Q2 2026) = 1.78, rounded to 1.8. The gap was 12.6 points, up from 10.6 in H2 2025.
-
South Korea posted the largest rise in generative AI use, up 3.5 percentage points to 40.6% in the second quarter of 2026, according to Microsoft AI Economy Institute.
-
Denmark had the highest generative AI use in the EU at 48.4% of people aged 16 to 74 in 2025, according to Eurostat.
-
Romania had the lowest generative AI use in the EU at 17.8% of people aged 16 to 74 in 2025, according to Eurostat.
-
Generative AI use in Denmark was 2.7 times the rate in Romania in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Eurostat data.
How we calculated it: 48.4% (Denmark) / 17.8% (Romania) = 2.72, rounded to 2.7. People aged 16 to 74, Eurostat 2025.
-
Eurostat put Denmark generative AI use 16.0 points higher than Microsoft did, 48.4% in 2025 against 32.4% in June 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal.
How we calculated it: 48.4% (Eurostat survey, aged 16 to 74, 2025) - 32.4% (Microsoft telemetry estimate, aged 15 to 64, Q2 2026) = 16.0 points. The sources measure different things.
| Rank (Q2 2026) | Economy | Q1 2026 | Q2 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United Arab Emirates | 70.1% | 73.3% |
| 2 | Singapore | 63.4% | 64.3% |
| 3 | Ireland | 48.4% | 49.9% |
| 4 | France | 47.8% | 49.6% |
| 5 | Norway | 48.6% | 49.4% |
| 6 | Spain | 44.2% | 45.1% |
| 7 | New Zealand | 43.0% | 44.1% |
| 8 | United Kingdom | 42.2% | 43.7% |
| 9 | Netherlands | 42.1% | 43.5% |
| 10 | Qatar | 41.8% | 43.5% |
| 21 | United States | 31.3% | 33.0% |
| 23 | Germany | 31.1% | 32.3% |
| 45 | Japan | 22.5% | 24.7% |
| 58 | Brazil | 19.1% | 20.2% |
| 64 | India | 17.6% | 18.5% |
| 67 | China | 16.4% | 17.5% |
| - | World | 17.8% | 18.8% |
ChatGPT usage statistics
ChatGPT is still the most used generative AI tool. Pew has tracked its use among US adults every year since 2023.
The share of US adults using ChatGPT rose from 18% in 2023 to 44% in 2026, a compound growth rate of 34.7% a year. Pew changed its question in 2026 to cover other chatbots too, so the series has a small break.
ChatGPT leads every rival in Pew's survey. 44% of US adults use it, against 24% for Gemini, 17% for Copilot and 6% for Claude. Searching for information is the most common reason to use a chatbot, cited by 42% of adults.
Globally, about 10% of adults used ChatGPT by July 2025, according to an NBER working paper based on a sample of real conversations. Use has shifted away from work. More than 70% of messages were not work-related by mid-2025, up from 53%. Practical guidance, seeking information and writing made up nearly 80% of conversations.
Source: Pew Research Center. The 2023 to 2025 question was asked only of adults who had heard of ChatGPT.
-
44% of US adults used ChatGPT in 2026, up from 18% in 2023, according to Pew Research Center.
-
The share of US adults using ChatGPT grew 34.7% a year from 2023 to 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Pew Research Center data.
How we calculated it: (44% in 2026 / 18% in 2023) ^ (1/3) - 1 = 34.7% compound annual growth. Pew notes the 2023 to 2025 question was asked only of adults who had heard of ChatGPT.
-
24% of US adults used Google Gemini in 2026, against 44% for ChatGPT, 17% for Copilot and 6% for Claude, according to Pew Research Center.
-
42% of US adults used AI chatbots to search for information in 2026, according to Pew Research Center.
-
26% of US adults had used ChatGPT for learning in 2025, up from 8% in 2023, according to Pew Research Center.
-
About 10% of the world adult population used ChatGPT by July 2025, according to a National Bureau of Economic Research working paper.
-
More than 70% of ChatGPT consumer messages were not related to work by July 2025, up from 53%, according to a National Bureau of Economic Research working paper.
-
Practical guidance, seeking information and writing made up nearly 80% of ChatGPT conversations to July 2025, according to a National Bureau of Economic Research working paper.
| Chatbot | Share of US adults who ever use it |
|---|---|
| ChatGPT | 44% |
| Gemini | 24% |
| Copilot | 17% |
| Meta AI | 14% |
| Grok | 8% |
| Claude | 6% |
| Character.ai | 3% |
How the main sources measure generative AI use
The headline numbers on this page range from 18.8% to 54.6%. Most of that spread comes from method, not from real differences in behaviour.
Surveys and telemetry measure different things. Surveys such as the St. Louis Fed, Pew and Eurostat ask people what they did. They can overstate or understate use, and answers depend on question order. The St. Louis Fed revised its August 2024 figure from 39.4% to 44.6% after changing how it asked. Microsoft's telemetry sees actual use, but only through its own products and devices, and it adjusts for gaps. Microsoft says its next edition will add newer AI tools, which it expects to raise measured use, most of all in China.
Time windows matter as much as method. Ever-use, use in the past 3 months, use in the past week and daily use give very different answers. Pew's 49% ever-use falls to 24% for daily use. Age ranges also differ. Compare figures only within one source, and treat cross-source gaps such as the US vs EU gap as indicative.
| Source | Method | Population | Latest period |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Fed (Bick, Blandin and Deming) | Real-Time Population Survey, quarterly online survey | US adults aged 18 to 64 | Q2 2026 |
| Pew Research Center | American Trends Panel, about 5,100 adults | US adults 18 and over | February 2026 |
| Eurostat | EU survey on ICT usage in households, use in the past 3 months | EU people aged 16 to 74 | 2025 |
| Microsoft AI Economy Institute | Anonymised telemetry adjusted for device share, internet use and population | People aged 15 to 64 in 147 economies | June 2026 |
| NBER (How People Use ChatGPT) | Classifier applied to a sample of ChatGPT conversations | ChatGPT consumer users | July 2025 |
| Stanford HAI AI Index | Quid investment data and McKinsey survey | Private AI companies and organisations | 2025 |
Frequently asked questions
What percentage of people use generative AI?
It depends on the population. 54.6% of US adults aged 18 to 64 used generative AI in August 2025 (St. Louis Fed). 32.7% of EU people aged 16 to 74 did in 2025 (Eurostat). Worldwide, 18.8% of working-age people used it in June 2026 (Microsoft).
How much has generative AI use grown since last year?
US adult use rose from 44.6% in August 2024 to 54.6% in August 2025, a rise of 22.4%. Worldwide, Microsoft's measure rose from 16.3% in the second half of 2025 to 18.8% in June 2026.
Which country uses generative AI the most?
The United Arab Emirates, at 73.3% of working-age people in June 2026, followed by Singapore at 64.3%, according to Microsoft. In the EU, Denmark leads at 48.4% (Eurostat, 2025). The US ranks 21st at 33.0%.
Do people use generative AI more for work or personal tasks?
Personal tasks. In August 2025, 48.7% of US adults aged 18 to 64 used generative AI outside work, against 37.4% at work. In the EU, 25.1% used it for private purposes and 15.1% for work in 2025.
How much money is invested in generative AI?
Private investment in generative AI reached $170.9 billion in 2025, up over 200% on 2024, according to the Stanford AI Index. US companies drew $163.6 billion of it, 95.7% of the total.
How many people use ChatGPT?
44% of US adults used ChatGPT in 2026, up from 18% in 2023, according to Pew. An NBER working paper estimates about 10% of the world's adults used ChatGPT by July 2025.
Sources
- Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, The State of Generative AI Adoption in 2025, 13 November 2025, accessed 31 October 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- Eurostat, 32.7% of EU people used generative AI tools in 2025, 16 December 2025, accessed 31 October 2026. Link · Saved data copy · Licence: CC BY 4.0
- Microsoft AI Economy Institute, Global AI Diffusion Q2 2026: Trends and Insights, September 2026, accessed 31 October 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- Stanford HAI, The 2026 AI Index Report, Chapter 4: Economy, April 2026, accessed 31 October 2026. Link · Saved data copy · Licence: CC BY-ND 4.0
- Pew Research Center, Americans and AI 2026: Chatbots, Smart Devices and Views on Impact, 17 June 2026, accessed 31 October 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- Stanford HAI, The 2026 AI Index Report: Economy, April 2026, accessed 31 October 2026. Link · Saved data copy · Licence: CC BY-ND 4.0
- Eurostat, 64% of 16-24-year-olds used AI in 2025, 10 February 2026, accessed 31 October 2026. Link · Saved data copy · Licence: CC BY 4.0
- Eurostat, Use of artificial intelligence by individuals (Statistics Explained), data extracted March 2026, accessed 31 October 2026. Link · Saved data copy · Licence: CC BY 4.0
- Pew Research Center, 34% of U.S. adults have used ChatGPT, about double the share in 2023, 25 June 2025, accessed 31 October 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED Blog), Does generative AI save time at work?, 27 August 2026, accessed 31 October 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- National Bureau of Economic Research, How People Use ChatGPT (Working Paper 34255), September 2025, accessed 31 October 2026. Link · Saved data copy
Changes to this page
- : Page published with St. Louis Fed data to Q2 2026, Pew 2025 and 2026 surveys, Eurostat 2025, Microsoft Q2 2026, NBER and Stanford AI Index 2026.