Chatbot Popularity in the United States
According to a recent Pew Research Center survey, 50% of American adults have turned to AI-powered chatbots. Among them, 24% use these tools on a daily basis. However, only 16% of respondents believe artificial intelligence will have a positive impact on society. ChatGPT leads the pack as the most widely used chatbot in the country, with 44% of Americans reporting its use—a clear sign of the technology's growing appeal. The survey, conducted from February 17 to 23, 2026, included 5,119 adult participants across the United States.
Notably, ChatGPT usage has climbed from 34% just one year ago. Other popular chatbots include:
- Google's Gemini – 24% of respondents
- Microsoft's Copilot – 17%
- Meta AI – 14%
- xAI's Grok – 8%
- Anthropic's Claude – 6%
- Character.ai – 3%
Roughly 51% of U.S. adults do not use AI chatbots at all, while 25% engage with them a few times a week or less.
Age Demographics of Chatbot Users
Adoption rates vary significantly by age. Among young adults aged 18 to 29, 66% use chatbots, and in the 30–49 age bracket, that figure stands at 61%. Usage drops to 42% for those aged 50–64 and falls further to just 23% among individuals over 65. Interestingly, 48% of younger users believe AI will negatively affect society over the next two decades. In the 30–49 age group, 39% anticipate negative societal impacts, and 30% expect personal harm. For those over 50, these figures are 37% and 28%, respectively.
People turn to chatbots for a wide range of tasks. Specifically:
- 42% use them for information searches
- 38% for work-related tasks
- 25% for entertainment
- 24% for creating or editing photos and videos
- 20% seek medical advice or information on diet and fitness
- 13% get news through AI
- 10% look for emotional support or guidance
Despite the widespread use of chatbots, 71% of Americans feel their personal data will become less secure as AI advances. Only 3% expect data protection to improve. Additionally, 67% of respondents said they have little or no trust in the U.S. government to regulate AI development, and 59% doubt that AI companies act responsibly. Among non-users, 83% cited a lack of interest, while 79% expressed concerns about how their personal information might be used.
The findings highlight the rapid rise of chatbot adoption, especially among younger demographics who leverage these tools for diverse purposes. Yet, a significant undercurrent of distrust toward AI and worries about data privacy persists. These attitudes could shape the future trajectory of AI technologies and their integration into everyday American life, as companies will need to address security and ethical concerns to earn user confidence.
While the increasing adoption of AI chatbots highlights their growing role in daily life, many users still harbor doubts about their reliability. This skepticism is evident in recent findings, where a significant portion of the population questions the trustworthiness of AI-generated responses. For a deeper understanding of the challenges facing AI acceptance among Americans, see our article on the trust issues surrounding AI interactions.