BOSTON–Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer just another tool layered onto digital life, it is becoming the place where many consumers now begin it, according to a new report.
That is the central theme in PYMNTS Intelligence’s report, “How AI Becomes the Place Consumers Start Everything.”
“Rather than focusing only on adoption rates, the report shows a deeper shift in sequence,” PYMNTS said. “Consumers are changing where they start tasks such as planning, learning, shopping and deciding. That change is already reshaping discovery, intent and, eventually, commerce, the company said.
The Findings
According to PYMNTS, the report finds that AI use has moved well beyond experimentation. The report notes that more than six in 10 U.S. consumers used dedicated AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Perplexity in the past year.
“What matters more than raw usage is how behavior differs across users,” PYMNTS said in releasing its findings. “Younger consumers and heavy users increasingly treat AI as a first stop rather than a supplement to search or apps.”
PYMNTS Intelligence said it surveyed 2,113 U.S. adults across 54 personal use cases, ranging from shopping and finances to health, education and travel. The data shows that while adoption is broad, intensity and trust determine whether AI simply assists existing habits or replaces them.
Three Important Data Points
According to PYMNTS, three data points illustrate how quickly this shift is taking hold:
- More than 60% of consumers used a dedicated AI platform in the past year, signaling that AI has crossed into mainstream behavior rather than niche experimentation.
- Over one-third of Gen Z consumers and Power Users now turn to AI first when starting personal tasks, marking a clear move away from traditional search and browsing.
- 42% of consumers who primarily use dedicated AI platforms report using search engines less, compared with 33% among those who mainly encounter AI through search summaries.
Reshaping Habits
Beyond these headline figures, PYMTNS said the report details how usage intensity reshapes habits.
“Power Users, defined as those performing 25 or more AI-driven tasks, extend the technology across shopping discovery, planning, learning and wellness,” PYMNTS explained. “For them, AI functions as a general-purpose personal system. Light Users remain cautious and concentrate on lower-risk activities. Only 14% of Light Users feel comfortable using AI for financial or banking tasks. That gap underscores a critical point for banks and payments firms. Widespread use does not automatically translate into high-stakes trust.”
Notable Finding
PYMNTS said another notable finding concerns how AI changes discovery itself.
“Consumers who engage through dedicated AI platforms are more likely to replace older behaviors rather than layer AI on top of them,” PYMNTS stated. “ Among these users, 43% say they have fully replaced prior methods. Those who rely on AI-generated summaries inside search engines tend to supplement existing habits instead.”
The report can be found here.
