pewresearch Published its latest "Americans and AI 2026" report.

Only 16% of Americans now expect AI to help society over the next 20 years and 40% expect AI to hurt society over the next 20 years

24% of Americans use chatbots daily, including 12% several times a day and 4% almost constantly.

51% of U.S. adults still do not use AI chatbots at all.

42% use chatbots to search for information, making search the top use case.

38% of employed adults use chatbots for work tasks.

10% use chatbots for emotional support or advice, while 4% use them for companionship.

ChatGPT dominates chatbot adoption, with 44% of U.S. adults reporting use.

Gemini follows at 24%, then Copilot at 17%, Meta AI at 14%, Grok at 8%, Claude at 6%, and Character[.]ai at 3%.

Adults under 50 are about twice as likely as older adults to use ChatGPT, at 57% versus 28%.

30% say chatbots help their productivity, while only 5% say they hurt it.

28% say chatbots help them stay informed, while only 5% say they hurt that.

60% of U.S. adults read AI search summaries, meaning AI is now shaping information intake even for people who may not actively use chatbots.