2025

ConsumerAdoptionofAIReport

Understandingchangingattitudestotechnology

Introduction

Surveysample

Thedatainthisreportcomesfrom

twomulti-marketsurveysof5,000

consumersaged18-67residingin

theUS,UK,CanadaandAustralia.

TheresearchwasconductedontheAttestplatformduringJanuary2025.

Artificialintelligencemakestheheadlinesdaily.Butwhilewe’reallreadingaboutAI,howmanyofusareusingit?ThisreportaimstoquantifybothconsumeropennesstoAIandtheiradoptionof

thetechnology.We’reespeciallyinterestedinconsumersentimenttowardsbrandsusingAI,andtheirlikelihoodtoengagewithAI

duringshoppingjourneys.

Benchmarkingagainstmulti-marketdatafrom2024,wecanseethatconsumerreadinessforAIinretailisincreasing,drivenbygreaterfamiliarity–andagrowingbeliefthatAIhasthepotentialtoimprovecustomerexperience.However,trustandethical

considerationsremainimportantfactorsshapingadoption.

HowconsumersareusingAIin2025

31%

52%haveusedChatGPT

30%haveusedGoogleGemini

43%

trustinformationfromanAItool

27%

useGenAIatleasthalfthe

timetheydoaninternetsearch

54%

arelikelyto

useanAI

assistant

orchatbot

thinkAIcanimprovethe customerexperience

47%

arelikelytouseGenAItoolstoresearchpurchases

ConsumersarefeelingmorepositiveaboutbrandsusingAI

Onlyayearhaspassedsincewelastpolledconsumersabout

brandsusingAItechnologybutrapidadvancementhastaken

placeinthattime.MostbusinesseshavebegunintegratingAIintotheiroperationsandmanyconsumershavehadthechanceto

experienceit–beitinteractingwithAI-poweredcustomerserviceorreceivingpersonalizedproductrecommendations.

AsconsumersbecomemorefamiliarwithAIinretail,somefears

aroundthetechnologyareabating,whilemorepeoplearestartingtoseethebenefits.Aprimaryconcernin2024wasthatbrands

usingAIwouldresultinpeoplelosingtheirjobsbutthisworryis

startingtodecline.Today,57%ofconsumersareworriedaboutjoblosses(downfrom59%).ConcernaboutthisissuehasmostdecreasedamongUKconsumers.Followinga-5pointdeclineto54%,theUKisthemarketleastworriedaboutlosingjobstoAI.

Lossofthehumantouch:59%

Top5disadvantagesofbrandsusingAI

Joblosses:57%

Inabilitytospeaktoarealperson:57%

Privacyorsecurityweaknesses:43%

Potentialformisleadingconsumers:40.5%

Meanwhile,objectiontobrandsusingAI-generatedmodelsintheiradsisalsodeclining.

Thepercentageofconsumerswhosaytheyarenotokwithithasdroppedfrom49%to46%.Canadianconsumershavehadthebiggestchangeofheart,witha-5pointdeclineinobjection.

31%

ofconsumersbelieve AIcanimprovethecustomerexperience

ConsumershaveagrowingbeliefthatAIwillimprovetwokeyaspectsofretail;followinga+4point

increase,31%thinkitcanprovideabettercustomerexperience,while29%believeAImeansbetter

personalization(a+3pointincreaseonlastyear).

BeliefthatAIwillimprovethecustomerexperienceintheUK,specifically,hasincreasedbyanotable+10pointsto35%.

Top5advantagesofbrandsusingAI

Fastercustomer

support

47%

Helpingstaffdotheirjobs

38%

Morecreativeadvertising

35%

Costsavingspassedontotheconsumer

32%

Greaterproductinnovation

32%

IntheUS,positivesentimenttowardsbrandsusing

AIhasmodestlyincreasedacrosstheboard,withthe

biggestincreaseinrelationtoadvertising:38%thinkitwillmakeadvertisingmorecreative(upby+4points).

Atthesametime,concernaroundinauthenticityandthepotentialforbiashavebothdeclinedbyseveralpoints.

SentimentinCanadaremainsmoreorless

consistent,althoughbeliefthatAIwillleadtobetterpersonalizationforconsumersisupby+5pointsto29%.

Australianconsumers,ontheotherhand,havebecomealittlemore

pessimisticaboutbrandsusingAI.

Notably,therehasbeena+5pointincreaseinconcernabouttheinabilitytospeaktoarealperson(to61%).

ConcernaboutAIreplacingreal-personcustomersupport(bycountry)

61%

59%

54%

53%

Overall,theUSandtheUKdemonstratesignificantlylowerconcernaboutbrandsusingAIcomparedtoCanadaandAustralia,indicatingthatthesemarketsaremorematureandreadyforgreateradoption.

However,AI-readinessalsodiffersbydemographic.Interestingly,MenaresignificantlymorelikelytobelievetherearebenefitstobrandsusingAI.Forexample,while36%believethatitwillleadtocostsavingspassedontotheconsumer,andgreaterproductinnovation,only28%ofwomenthinkthesamething.

WomenarealsomorelikelytoobjecttobrandsusingAImodelsinadvertising(52%versus

41%),thisisprimarilybecauseitcouldpromoteunrealisticbeautystandards.

Olderconsumersaremorelikelytobeagainstartificiallygeneratedmodelsthanyoungershoppers(50%ofthoseaged50-67object

comparedto43%ofthoseaged18-30).

HowconsumersfeelaboutAI-generatedmodelsinads

Notokwithit

45%

Okwithit

55%

Ingeneral,consumersaged50+haveamorenegative

perceptionofAIinthe

shoppingexperience.Theyover-indexforconcernaboutthelossofthehumantouch(63%)andtheinabilitytotalktoarealperson(64%)and

aresignificantlylesslikely

tobelievetherearebenefitstobrandsusingAI.Only

27%thinkAIwillimprove

thecustomerexperience,incomparisonto33%ofshoppersaged31-49,and34%ofthoseaged18-30.

ConsumeradoptionofAItoolsisgrowing

Notonlyareconsumersstartingtofeelmore

positiveaboutbrandsusingAI,butthey’realsomorelikelytousethetechnologythemselvesasapartoftheshoppingexperience.Comparedwithlast

year,there’sbeena+6pointincreaseinconsumerswhosaythey’relikelytousegenerativeAI(GenAI)toolslikeChatGPTandMicrosoftCopilottoresearchpurchases(to47%).

ThebiggestupliftinlikelihoodtouseAItoolsfor

researchingpurchaseshasoccurredinCanada,

where51%ofconsumersnowsaythey’relikelytodoit,followinga+10pointincrease.Likewise,intheUK,there’sbeena+9pointincreaseto47%.

LikelihoodtouseAItoolstoresearchpurchases(bycountry)

47%

43%

51%

49%

Diggingintothedemographics,weseethatmenaresignificantlymorelikelytouseAI

tohelpthemmakepurchasingdecisions:52%versus43%ofwomen.There’salsoa

distinctdifferencebetweenagegroups.While,around54%ofconsumersunder50woulduseAItoolsforproductresearch,only41%oftheiroldercounterpartswoulddothesame.

TheagedisparitycanalsobeseeninlikelihoodtouseanAI

assistantorchatbotonabrand’swebsite.Around60%of

consumersinagegroupsbelow50arelikelytotakeadvantage

ofsuchtools,comparedwithalesser43%ofshoppersaged50+.Overall,though,54%ofconsumersarelikelytoengagewithanAIchatbot(upfrom52%),withtheUKthemarketmostlikelytousethem,at57%.

Ofcourse,consumeradoptionofAIisn’tlimitedtohelpwith

52%

ofconsumershaveusedChatGPT

shopping.AseparatesurveywecarriedoutamongGenAIusershasshownthatthetechnologyisbeingusedforawiderangeofpurposesandavarietyoftoolsarebeingused.WefoundthatthemostcommonlyusedGenAItoolisChatGPT(52%),followedbyGoogleGemini(30%)andMicrosoftCopilot(20%).

LikelihoodtouseanAI

assistantorchatbotonabrand’swebsite(byage)

31-49

59%

18-30

60%

50-67

43%

Top5GenAItools(byusage)

ChatGPT:52%

GoogleGemini:30%

MicrosoftCopilot:20%

ClaudAI:5%

DALL-E:4%

Youngconsumersrepresentthebiggestusergroupof

ChatGPT(69%ofthoseaged18-30haveusedit),while

thoseaged31-49over-index

foruseofGoogleGemini(35%)andMicrosoftCopilot(23%).It’salsonotablethatmen

havehigherusageacrossall

GenAItools,withthebiggestdisparityseeninusageof

Copilot(27%menversus15%women),andGemini(36%menversus25%women).

TheUSlagsbehindforitsadoptionofChatGPT,

where45%ofconsumershaveuseditincomparisonto55%intheUK,56%inCanada,and58%in

Australia.Meanwhile,theUKisaheadoftherestforitsuseofGemini(34%),andCopilot(26%).

GenAIusagelevelsarehighestintheUK:58%of

consumerswhohavetriedsuchtoolssaytheyuse

themfrequently,comparedwith50%ofconsumersinCanada.USconsumersaremostlikelytohave

nevertriedaGenAItool(34%versus25%intheUK).

Overall,however,53%ofconsumerswhouseGenAItoolsareusingthemfrequently,including18%whoareusingthem‘veryfrequently’.Sowhatare

theyusingthemfor?Thetopusecaseisansweringquestionsorexplainingcomplextopics(42%),

followedbystudyorlearning(33%),andwritingletters/draftingdocuments(31%).

Around30%useGenAItoolsforhelpwithwork-relatedtasks,aswellaswithideagenerationandproblemsolving.Researching

productsandservicesisalsoamongstthetopusecases,

with30%ofGenAIusers

employingthetechnologyforthispurpose(risingto37%amongfrequentusers).

ToolslikeDALL-Eand

MidJourneyallowimagecreationfromtextprompts,and20%of

consumerssaytheyuseGenAIforcreatingoreditingimages

andvideos.Slightlyfewer(17.5%)usethetechnologyforcontent

creation,generatingthingslikeblogsandsocialmediaposts.

Top5usecaseforGenAI

Answeringquestionsorexplainingcomplextopics:42%

Studyorlearning:33%

Writingletters/emailsordraftingdocuments:31%

Work-relatedtasks:30%

Researchingproductsorservices:30%

F&Bmanufacturersandretailerswillbeinterestedtolearnthat19%of

consumersareusingGenAItoolsforrecipesandmealplanning.

WomenareespeciallylikelytouseAIforhelpinthekitchen:22%saytheyuseitforthispurposeversus15%ofmen.

There’sburgeoninguseofGenAIforothertypesofplanning,includingtravelplanning(14%),diet

andfitnessplanning(9%),andinteriordesign(8%).Meanwhile,consumersarealsoturningtoAIfor

recommendations:15%askforrecommendationsforTVshows,movies,games,booksandmusic,while13.5%askforrecommendationsfor

restaurants,bars,hotelsandattractions.

ConsumertrustinAItools(andthecompaniesbehindthem)isincreasing

Withhighprofilelegalcasesabouttheuseofcopyrighted

datatotrainAIcontinuingtoplayout,AIcompanies

haven’talwaysenjoyedthebestpublicimage.Butourdatasuggestsconsumeropinionisimproving.In2024,only29%ofconsumerssaidtheytrustedcompanieswiththedatatheycollectedthroughAItechnology.Today,thathas

increasedby+4pointsto33%.

TrustincompaniescollectingdatathroughAItools

Neithertrust

nordistrust

35%

Somewhat

trust

27%

Somewhatdistrust

21%

Stronglydistrust

11%

Stronglytrust

6%

Atthesametime,trustinAItoolsthemselvesisalsogrowing:

43%ofconsumers

wouldtrustthe

informationgiventothembyanAIchatbotortool,upfrom40%lastyear.

Whenlookingspecificallyat

consumerswhocurrentlyuse

GenAItools,thisfigureincreasesto68%.Justover14%ofthese

usersgosofarastosaytheytrusttheinformationprovidedbyAItoolscompletely.

Youngerconsumersarenotablymoretrusting–bothofAItoolsandAIcompanies.37%ofthoseaged18-30trustAIcompaniestolookaftertheirdata,incomparisonto27%ofshoppersaged50+.Likewise,47%trustinformationprovidedbyAItools,versus35%ofconsumersaged50-67.

Men–whowesawearlieraremorelikelytouseAI–arealsolikelytohavehighertrustinthetechnology.46%wouldtrustinformationgiventothembyanAIchatbotortool,comparedwith40%ofwomen.And37%saytheytrustcompaniesin

regardstocollectingdataviaAI(versus29%ofwomen).

68%

ofGenAIuserstrusttheinformationtheyreceive

TrustininformationprovidedbyAItools(byage)

18-30

48%

31-49

47%

50-67

35%

Comparingthemarkets,

Australiahasthelowest

trustincompanies

handlingAIdata(only29%trustthemcomparedwith36%ofAmericans).And

they’rethemarketmostinfavoroflawstocontrolthe

useofconsumers’datatotrainAI(83%versus75%ofAmericans).

ThepushforlegislationaroundAIisstrongest

amongolderconsumers:

85%ofshoppersaged

50+supportlawsto

controlAIcompanies

collectingdata,versus74%ofthoseaged18-30.

DesireforlawstocontrolAI

83%

80%

77%

“Deepfake”

imagesor

videostobe

madeillegal

Mandatory

labelingof

AI-generated

content

Lawsto

controltheuse

ofconsumers’

datato

trainAI

Olderconsumersalsoover-indexforwantinglabelingofAI-generatedcontenttobealegalrequirement(89%versus77%ofyoungerconsumers).

InEurope,plansarealreadyunderwayforregulating

AItechnologies.TheEU’sArtificialIntelligenceActis

expectedtobeadoptedin2025andcreatesalegal

frameworkthatensuresAIisusedsafely,ethically,andinwaysthatrespectfundamentalrights,whichmaygosomewaytoimprovingconsumertrust.

Overall,43%ofconsumersremain

concernedaboutprivacyorsecurity

weaknesseswhenitcomestoAI,whichisthesameaslastyear.

But,again,weseethattheconsumerswhoaremostlikelytouseAItoolsaretheleastlikelytohavetheseconcerns,suggestingthatincreasingfamiliaritywillgrowtrust.

AIischanginghow

consumerssearchonline

OneofthebiggestwaysAIisgoingtoaffectbrandsissearch.AccordingtoMITTechnologyReview,“

AI

meanstheendofinternetsearchaswe’veknown

it

”.We’reenteringaneraofconversationalsearch,whereusersaskquestionsand–insteadofalistoflinks–receivelongformresponsesexpressedinnaturallanguage.

TheriseofGenAIsearchwilllikelymeana

substantiallossintrafficformostwebsites–

peoplenolongerneedtovisitindividualsitestogettheinformationthey’relookingfor.Thisisgreatforconsumers,butnotsogreatforbrands.

OurdatasuggeststheshifttoGenAIforsearchiswellunderway.ResearchwecarriedoutforourannualConsumerTrendsReportfoundthat37%ofunder40sintheUKand32%intheUSuse

AIatleasthalfofthetimetheydoaninternetsearch.WealsofoundelevateduseofAIfor

searchamonghighearningconsumers.

37%

ofBritsunder40useAIatleasthalfofthetimetheydoasearch

Rightnow,GenAIisnotpay-to-play,meaning

brandscannotbuyadsorpaytobementioned

bythesetools.ButforthosethatorganicallygetpickedupbytheLargeLanguageModels(LLMs),wewantedtoexploreiftherecouldpotentially

bebenefitsoverappearinginregularSERPs.

Itturnsoutthatthereis.

GenAIsearchresultsaredeemedtobemoretrustworthyby40%ofconsumers(whoarealreadyusingthetechnology).

Only17%trustAIresultslessthanthelinksthatregularsearchenginesreturn.Itappearsthat

gettingmentionedbyGenAIcouldprovideahaloeffectforyourbrand.

TrustinGenAIversusorganicsearchresults

Trustthesame

12%

Trustalotmore

Trustalittleless

14%

Trustalittlemore

28%

3%

Trustalotless

43%

ItcouldevenbemoreeffectivethanPayPerClick(PPC)advertisingbecausenearly41%ofconsumersagreethattheytrustGenAIsearchresultsmorethanpaidsearchresults(whilejust15%trustitless).

AmericanandBritishconsumers,especially,demonstrategreaterfaithinGenAIsearch:

around43%thinkit’smoretrustworthythan

bothorganicandpaidsearchresults.That’sincomparisontoaround36%ofAustraliansandCanadians.

MenaremorelikelytotrustGenAIresultsoverregularsearchresultsthanwomen(44%versus37%).Andagealsoplaysaroleinhowmuch

swayAIsearchholds,with44%ofconsumers