Half of US Adults Still Avoid AI Chatbots, and Most Don't Plan to Change

New research from Pew Research Center suggests AI chatbots are not as universal as many assume. About half of US adults (51 percent) say they never use them, which means users are only just the minority. Adults aged 65 and older are the least likely to use chatbots, with roughly three-quarters saying they never do. More than half (58 percent) of those aged 50 to 64 also stay away, while 66 percent of those aged 18 to 29 use them, though a third of that group still do not.

Pew asked non-users to pick from five possible reasons. Six in ten named simple lack of interest as a major factor, followed by concerns about data privacy and the accuracy of chatbot answers. Fewer than a third said they did not know how to use the tools, and fewer than one in five worried about what others would think of them. Pew also found non-users were more likely to be white, black or Hispanic than Asian.

The abstainers do not appear ready to change course. Two-thirds (67 percent) say they are unlikely to use a chatbot in the next 12 months, including 40 percent who say they are not at all likely to. Another 12 percent are unsure, and only 5 percent think they will probably try one. The survey covers US adults, so Australian figures may differ.