Epoch AI survey finds near-daily AI use among US adults rose from 8 to 19 percent between March and August
Two Ipsos-run representative polls also show occasional once-a-week users falling from 17 to 10 percent, though a change in question wording limits the comparison.
The share of US adults who use AI almost every day more than doubled between March and August 2026, according to two representative surveys that research institute Epoch AI conducted with polling firm Ipsos, as reported by The Decoder. Respondents who said they used AI on at least six of seven days rose from 8 percent to 19 percent. Over the same period, the share of occasional users who used AI only one day a week fell from 17 percent to 10 percent, suggesting that light users are shifting toward heavy use rather than dropping out. The March 2026 survey included 2,017 participants and the August survey 1,016. Both samples were randomly selected and weighted to reflect the US population. Epoch AI cautions that the two results are not fully comparable. In March, participants were asked how often they used AI overall. In August, they were asked about each service separately and researchers took the highest frequency reported. The researchers say that difference could cause the August figures to underestimate actual usage rather than inflate it. The numbers land in a week dominated by debate over slowing frontier development, and they indicate that consumer adoption is accelerating regardless. For subscription businesses and policymakers weighing the effects of a slowdown, the shift toward daily habitual use is the relevant baseline.