Numerator: Consumers of all ages utilizing AI tools
The use of artificial intelligence tools is becoming widespread among all age cohorts, with each having different use preferences as well as concerns.
Numerator’s latest report, Generational AI Consumer Trends 2026, revealed just 2% of variation in AI acceptance among generations. Numerator notes that Gen Z, millennials, Gen X and baby boomers are all embracing AI for different reasons.
A majority (77%) of Gen Z consumers use AI tools. However, among those who don't, 57% say they are not open to using AI in the future, which is the highest level of resistance of any generation. More than half (53%) also say they have too many reservations about AI, driven by concerns about environmental impact, creativity and the reliability of AI-generated information.
Eighty percent of millennials use AI tools, and 75% say they help improve their efficiency. Millennials are more likely to use AI to plan meals, create shopping lists, build travel itineraries, discover gift ideas, receive personalized recommendations, and create budgets compared to the general population. Despite this, Numerator found that almost half (49%) of millennials worry AI will replace human jobs or tasks, up 11 percentage points from July 2025.
Three-quarters (76%) of Gen X consumers say they use AI tools, and they are the most willing generation to use AI while shopping categories such as electronics, home and DIY, restaurants, grocery, apparel, health, household, and personal care and beauty.
[READ MORE: PwC: Back-to-school shopping increasingly influenced by kids, AI]
Nearly six-in-10 (58%) baby boomers say they use AI tools, often through integrated experiences such as Apple Intelligence and Meta AI. More than other generations, Numerator found that baby boomers are interested in tactical shopping use cases for AI, such as price comparisons, coupons, price-drop alertsa and authenticity checks.
Among non-users, 66% of baby boomers say they have difficulty distinguishing real content from AI-generated content, while nearly a third say they need clearer explanations of how AI-generated answers are created.
Numerator’s AI analysis is based on a Verified Voices survey of more than 5,000 U.S. consumers.
