Pew: About Half of U.S. Adults Now Use AI Chatbots
On June 17, 2026, Pew Research Center released “Americans and AI 2026: Chatbots, Smart Devices and Views on Impact,” based on a February 2026 survey of U.S. adults. About 49% now report using AI chatbots (up from 33% in 2024), including roughly one-in-four daily users, while ChatGPT remains dominant at 44% of adults. The study also tracks AI search summaries, smart-device adoption, and persistently cautious views of AI’s long-term societal impact.
TLDR
Pew Research Center’s Americans and AI 2026 report, published June 17, 2026, finds about half of U.S. adults (49%) now use AI chatbots—up from 33% in 2024—with roughly one-in-four using them daily. ChatGPT leads brand usage (44% of adults), followed by Gemini (24%), Copilot (17%), Meta AI (14%), Grok (8%), and Claude (6%). Adoption is rising even as many Americans remain skeptical that AI will be a net positive for society.
Key findings
From Pew’s primary report (survey of U.S. adults, American Trends Panel, Feb 17–23, 2026; n≈5,119; ±1.6 pp):
- Chatbot use: 49% ever use AI chatbots (ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, etc.), vs 33% in 2024 (and ~23% in 2023 trends).
- Daily use: Roughly one-in-four adults use chatbots daily (including “several times a day” / “almost constantly” splits in detailed tables).
- Brand share among adults: ChatGPT 44% (more than double 2023 levels in TechCrunch summary); Gemini 24%; Copilot 17%; Meta AI 14%; Grok 8%; Claude 6%; Character.ai 3%.
- Search: Large shares encounter AI-generated summaries in search results (coverage cites ~60% reading AI search summaries).
- Attitudes: More adults still lean negative than positive on AI’s long-term personal/societal impact; awareness of chatbots continues to climb (“a lot” heard about chatbots rose vs 2024).
Fieldwork predates June product shocks (Fable suspension, etc.); figures describe early-2026 behavior released mid-year.
Why this story matters
This is the cleanest population-level checkpoint that generative AI has crossed into mainstream U.S. consumer behavior—half of adults, a quarter daily—while brand hierarchy remains ChatGPT-first. For product, policy, and media teams, Pew’s numbers ground hype and IPO narratives in how ordinary Americans actually use (and doubt) AI.
Sources
- Pew Research Center: “Americans and AI 2026: Chatbots, Smart Devices and Views on Impact” (pewresearch.org, June 17, 2026). Primary report and charts.
- Pew full PDF report (PI_2026.06.17_Americans-and-AI_REPORT.pdf).
- TechCrunch summary of brand shares and societal-impact findings (June 17, 2026).