Menlo Report: US AI Adoption Stuck at 64% While Consumer AI Spend Triples to $40B
mmurph · x · 2026-09-17
Menlo Ventures' 2026 State of Consumer AI report: adoption barely moved (61%→64% of US adults) even as global consumer AI spend tripled to $40B. Key findings:
- 55% of AI users now pay for at least one product; top 14% of payers account for 60% of spend.
- Payers are 2x more likely to use AI daily (50% vs 26%) and 5x more likely to use agents (65% vs 13%).
- 48% of AI users (30% of Americans) have earned money with AI.
- 41% have tried an AI agent, 24% use one regularly, 32% let AI act without final approval.
- Backlash: 36% of consumers are less likely to engage with known AI-generated content vs 14% more likely.
- Trust gates adoption: accuracy (45%), trustworthiness (40%), privacy (36%) rank above ease of use; 70% of non-users distrust AI info, up from 58%.
Related event: Menlo Report: AI Adoption Stalls While Consumer Spending Triples to $40B(6 posts)→
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