How Many Consumers "Use" Generative AI?

Daily use of generative artificial intelligence platforms might still be in the 11 percent of U.S. internet users, says Morgan Stanley Research. That likely refers to active use of chat-based language models, and absolutely underestimates the actual degree of passive usage.

Still, even the lower figure tracks with adoption of Facebook, perhaps a model for growth rates of  internet apps that become ubiquitous, Morgan Stanley suggests. But actual usage is higher, if passive.

source: Morgan Stanley Research

In one sense, asking consumers how they “use generative artificial intelligence” is unhelpful. Most consumers will encounter generative AI integrated into the platforms, tools, and services they already use daily, often in subtle and seamless ways. 

It’s akin to asking them how they have used AI in the context of online shopping or social media. They haven’t done anything specific, nor might they be aware their apps use AI to personalize and target content. 

source: Bain 

So consumers encounter AI-generated playlists, movie recommendations and advertising based on past behavior. The same holds for the actual content of their social media and news feeds. 

When shopping, they get hyper-personalized suggestions based on browsing history, mood, or context. In other cases they might use AI tools to “see how this item looks on you.”

Users also encounter AI-aided results when using search engines. 

Beyond that, it might be difficult to predict the primary value GenAI will come to represent for consumer users. Hyper-personalization is a likely candidate, but so far, users have been using GenAI as a research tool akin to search. 

Morgan Stanley researchers say present usage remains anchored by research, and I’d concur with that, based on my own usage. On the other hand, Morgan Stanley expects a broadening of use to include shopping, travel planning or recipes is growing. 

source: Morgan Stanley Research

Some of us use search to find out what time particular sports teams will be playing. Today, for the first time, I used GenAI to find out TV times for games I want to watch, so yes, the range of use cases is growing.