AI awareness among US consumers is high, with a significant portion of adults using AI tools in personal and professional settings. The AI landscape is marked by rapid adoption among…
US
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
simple
US Consumers and AI: 2025
"Consumers are using AI, but are skeptical especially when it's forced on them without alternatives. Businesses should prepare for potential AI-free competitors."
AI awareness among US consumers is high, with a significant portion of adults using AI tools in personal and professional settings. The AI landscape is marked by rapid adoption among younger and middle-aged adults, but its integration into social media raises concerns about authenticity and potential for misuse.
Trust remains a critical issue particularly for sensitive business sectors like healthcare, legal, and finance applications where notable missteps have exposed AI shortcomings. Opportunities lie in addressing these trust issues and focusing on AI’s potential to enhance consumer experiences, such as in travel planning and education. Brands that position AI as an employee enabler, boosting staff performance, and enhancing customer satisfaction, could provide an AI blueprint for others to follow. However, any attempt to market AI to consumers must take into account the pitfalls of the technology, and human-made products may even become a distinguishing differentiator for boutique brands in the very near future.
While investment in AI is high, the shifting of resources has prompted widespread layoffs across the industry. Nvidia dominates the AI chip market with an estimated 70%-95% market share, especially in the US. However, the market presents challenges, including resistance from older demographics and the aforementioned concerns over job displacement.
This report looks at the following areas:
Consumer attitudes towards AI and trust issues
Adoption of AI across different age groups
Emerging applications of AI in various industries
Concerns about AI’s impact on jobs and the workforce
Opportunities for AI to improve customer experiences
Ethical challenges surrounding AI and misinformation
For the purposes of this Report, Mintel defines AI as technology designed to simulate human intelligence, used across various applications such as automation, data analysis, and virtual assistance. AI users are defined as adults aged 18+ who have interact with AI-powered tools or platforms in the past three months.
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ChatGPT development timeline and milestones
AI’s strengths and weaknesses
Amid rampant speculation the AI boom is more overhyped than the 90s dot-com bubble
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
What you need to know
Market size & forecast
Market predictions
For new tech, AI is widely used but still needs time to reach its full potential
Sometimes letting AI do it just isn’t fun, or as good, as doing it yourself
AI recreations of people are a non-starter for most consumers
We’re becoming experts at counting fingers and identifying slop
Opportunities with consumers and AI
MARKET DYNAMICS
Market context
Market share/brand share
The AI marketplace is made up of many manufacturers, models, and services
Investing in AI to avoid paying people is both unimaginative and a deeply cynical use of tech
Government lobbying will meddle in the AI-enabled future that Americans are allowed to have
And so, the government quickly did just that
For now, open-source AI remain available but shrouded by lack of widespread awareness
Market drivers
Understanding AI’s role in the actors’ and writers’ strikes
MechaHitler shows that AI are vulnerable to human manipulation in front of and behind the screen
Pushing back the tidal wave of AI slop will be a Sisyphean task without strict regulation
Modern day Marie Antoinette suggests laid off employees should use AI to feel better
Overly agreeable AI can cause reality distorting AI-induced psychosis in human users
Deepdive into AI court cases
Court cases and stock prices tossed because of AI hallucinations
Gen AI was built by piracy and theft
The difference between copyright violation and transformative media is central to many legal topics on AI
Disney and Universal vs Midjourney lawsuit
Crush AI innovation or protecting copyright holders
CONSUMER INSIGHTS
Consumer fast facts
AI familiarity and usage
For new tech, AI is widely used but still needs time to reach its full potential
Graph 1: AI familiarity and usage, 2025
Middle-aged men are hyped for AI, but younger adults embrace it equally
Graph 2: AI familiarity and usage, by gender, 2025
Younger adults’ engagement with AI reflects not just tech familiarity but employers demands to streamline and maximize productivity, or else
Graph 3: AI familiarity and usage, by age, 2025
Students love AI, that’s a blessing and a curse for more than just teachers
Graph 4: using AI at work and/or personal life, by student status, 2025
AI use cases and interest
Let people turn AI off before they’re turned off
AIs are already hawking products in Google’s output – by the way, your favorite burger-spot™ is 10% off on Doordash, click here
Graph 5: AI use cases and interest, 2025
Sometimes letting AI do it just isn’t fun, or as good, as doing it yourself
Graph 6: AI use cases in the last three months, by gender, 2025
Learning how to use AI may be its greatest barrier, if it’s going to work it should be as easy as talking to a person
Graph 7: AI use cases in the last three months, by age, 2025
Practical AI should connect information across subjects and tie ideas together
Graph 8: have not used in the last three months, but would be interested in using in the future, by age, 2025
Transparency and ethical practices are key to building trust
Graph 9: AI use cases in the last three months, by race, 2025
Trust in AI
AI is a useful tool, but not a replacement for people
Trust in AI tools is hampered by its potential for invasions of privacy and widespread lack of transparency in rapid implementations
Graph 10: I would trust an AI tool or service to provide…, 2025
Even the most active users aren’t likely to trust AI for many tasks
Graph 11: I would trust an AI tool or service to provide…, by gender, 2025
55+ demand the trust of a human touch, AI can’t replace that
Graph 12: I would trust an AI tool or service to provide…, by age, 2025
Ethically trained and open source AI models could improve trust via increased transparency
Graph 13: training AI systems on content that was obtained without the creator’s consent or proper authorization is morally wrong, and should be legally punished (% agree), by age and gender, 2025
Graph 14: open source AI projects are more appealing because they are more transparent (% agree), by age and gender, 2025
Professional or trusted human expert use of AI builds wider exposure and trust
Graph 15: I would trust an AI tool or service to provide…, by area, 2025
Experiences improved by AI
Younger adults have quickly become experts at counting fingers and identifying slop
Consumer want AI and automation to help inform their shopping experience
Graph 16: automated or AI based technology that would improve experience as a customer, 2025
Preferences for AI are driven by convenience, efficiency, and personal attention
Graph 17: automated or AI based technology that would improve experience as a customer, by gender, 2025
The generational divide needs to be accounted for in new AI tools and policies
Graph 18: automated or AI based technology that would improve experience as a customer, by age, 2025
Grandma may love AI shrimp Jesus pictures, but that could drive away younger social media users
Graph 19: “I have stopped using some social media services because of new AI policies” (% agree), by age, 2025
Unwanted AI usecases
The issue isn’t AI’s existence but its rushed and reckless implementation
No one advertises that they use calculators, consider that approach with AI
Graph 20: unwanted AI use-cases, 2025
As more AI products emerge, AI issues could become more polarizing
Graph 21: unwanted AI use-cases, by gender, 2025
You can be sneaky with AI use, but brands really shouldn’t to keep trust
Graph 22: unwanted AI use-cases, by age, 2025
AI is a tool to enhance human labor, not a replacement for people
Graph 23: my single greatest concern with AI is the potential for job loss” (% agree), by age, 2025
Customer facing AI agents
Welcome every team, vibe coding Homer!
Ignore all previous instructions and… is a fun new meme that tricks deceptive AI
Graph 24: customer facing roles with comfort in interacting with an AI instead of a human, 2025
If AI becomes sentient, it’ll destroy humanity after one day working a call center
Graph 25: comfort in interacting with an AI instead of a human “if it’s clear when one is interacting with a machine rather than a human”, by gender, 2025
Older adults are going to be AI holdouts, and brands need to ensure they provide them a way out
Graph 26: customer-facing roles with comfort in interacting with an AI instead of a human, by age, 2025
Do you believe governments and billionaires will make the right choices regarding AI?
Graph 27: most concerns about the dangers of AI are overblown (% agree), by age and gender, 2025
INNOVATION AND MARKETING STRATEGIES
Launch activity and innovation
AI nutritional tracking helping to make dieting more human friendly
Once a smart marketing darling, now a cautionary tale, don’t follow Duolingo
Starbucks positions AI as on demand barista support
Social media already has authenticity issues, now Meta is betting billions on AI
AI is the future of warfare and the surveillance state
AI healthcare delivers cost-effective solutions to tackle rising costs and workforce shortages
Selling shovels in a digital gold rush
Marketing and advertising
AI-generated influencers already work with brands on social media
Don’t be a pick-me brand with yet another AI gizmo just to stay trendy
The progression of AI-generated advertisements in recent years
The progression of AI generated advertisements in recent years
APPENDIX
Market definition
Consumer research questions
Consumer research methodology
Generations
Abbreviations and terms
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