35% of consumers use AI in their daily lives, according to study
Artificial intelligence has been consolidated as a key resource in the business environment, but its integration into the daily lives of consumers is moving forward more cautiously. A global report by strategic consultant Bain & Company shows this difference and alerts about a growing distance between company enthusiasm and the trust that users place in these technologies.
According to the study, 95 percent of companies in the United States and Europe already incorporate AI-based tools into their operations. In contrast, only 35 per cent of consumers regularly use them. For Bain & Company, understanding the causes of this disparity is essential for governments, companies, and technology developers to adopt strategies aligned with the real needs of the market.
The research identifies five consumer profiles that reflect different levels of AI relationship: from users who often and enthusiastically use it, to those who reject it altogether. This variety of attitudes poses an obvious challenge: digital confidence does not evolve at the same pace as technological innovation.
According to Catalina Fajardo, a partner at Bain & Company and head of the office in Colombia, the speed of technological implementation is exceeding the speed of confidence construction. The expert warns that this mismatch could significantly reduce the impact of AI in the medium term if experiences adapted to the diversity of perceptions and forms of use are not created.
Five consumer profiles in the face of artificial intelligence
Bain & Company’s analysis segments users into five groups, defined by their relationship and level of confidence towards artificial intelligence:
- Enthusiasts: they use it frequently, claim that it has improved their productivity, and show full confidence in its potential.
- Fans: They use it occasionally, motivated mainly by curiosity or entertainment.
- Curious but cautious: they are interested in technology, but they maintain reserves and limit their use by mistrust.
- Emerging explorers: they don’t currently use it, although they are willing to adopt it in the future.
- Rotle rejections: avoid any interaction with AI, due to privacy concerns, lack of trust, or personal convictions.
According to Fajardo, some tasks, such as the search for information or assisted writing, present moderate differences in use between these profiles. However, the gap widens in more advanced activities, such as image editing, purchase recommendations, or technology assistance for day-to-day decision-making.
The report also notes that 18 per cent of consumers have experimented with AI, but decided to abandon it. Among the reasons are disinterest, privacy concerns, or preference for traditional methods.
Bain & Company proposes that indirect exposure to AI through platforms, natural language interface, or automated service could gradually increase the willingness to direct use. However, this change will not occur automatically or homogeneously among all users.
For Fajardo, organizations must understand perceptions and attitudes towards AI both within their teams and among their clients. Only in this way will it be possible to design value solutions in a context where trust has become a key competitive factor.
The report is particularly relevant for Latin America and Colombia, where digital transformation is progressing rapidly, but faces structural challenges of access, training, and technological confidence, concludes Fajardo.
