Weekly generative AI use reaches 51% across six countries

Oct 29, 2026
Weekly use of standalone generative AI systems reached 51% in 2026 across six countries with historical survey data, up from 34% in 2025.

Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism reports in its 2026 survey that weekly use of standalone generative AI systems reached 51% across six countries with historical data, up from 34% in 2025. Daily use increased from 7% in 2024 to 16% in 2025 and 28% in 2026.

ChatGPT remained the most widely used system, with weekly use rising from 22% to 34%. Gemini grew from 11% to 24%, while Microsoft Copilot increased from 6% to 11% and Claude from 1% to 7%.

Using generative AI to get information rose from 11% in 2024 to 38% in 2026. Use for news remained less common, increasing from 3% to 9% across the six countries. Among people using AI for news, 49% asked follow up questions about stories and 46% used it to get the latest news.

Across all nine countries in the survey, 57% encountered AI summaries in search during the previous week. Meanwhile, 14% used an AI agent for a real task, 13% experimented with one, and 67% did not use an agent.

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