Consumer AI Spending Hits $40B, Tripling as US Adoption Inches Up Just 3 Points
rohanpaul_ai · x · 2026-09-29
Menlo Ventures' 2026 State of Consumer AI report highlights:
- Depth over scale: US adult AI usage rose only from 61% to 64%, yet global consumer AI spend hit $40B, 3x+ last year; 55% of AI users pay, and 46% of payers spend more than a year ago vs 12% spending less.
- Power users dominate: top 14% of payers drive 60% of spending; payers are 2x as likely to use AI daily (50% vs 26%) and 5x as likely to use agents (65% vs 13%).
- AI as income: 48% of AI users have earned money with AI (30% of Americans).
- Handing over control: 41% tried an 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; only 14% more interested.
- Trust is the gatekeeper: accuracy (45%), trustworthiness (40%), and security/privacy (36%) now outrank ease of use (down to 32%); 70% of holdouts distrust AI info.
- ChatGPT ads, launched in February, reached a $1B annualized pace in 200 days.
Related event: Consumer AI Spending Hits $40B, Driven by Power Users: Menlo Report(2 posts)→
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