AI adoption slows for consumers, stays strong among professionals

AI adoption is no longer one clean curve. In SparkToro’s August 2025 research, more than 20% of Americans were using AI tools 10 or more times a month, nearly 40% were using at least one AI tool monthly, and 95% still used traditional search engines every month. The picture is real growth, but not a wholesale replacement of search.

That split matters because the audience is not moving in lockstep. Rand Fishkin, Datos and SparkToro have all pointed to a widening gap between consumer behavior and professional behavior, with desktop ChatGPT and OpenAI use appearing to plateau after a peak in the fall of 2025 while Claude kept building momentum, especially among professionals. SparkToro’s audience research tools are built around that question: whether a specific audience is using AI at all, and which tools it is actually using.

OpenAI’s own research tells a similar story. In an NBER-backed study, non-work ChatGPT messages rose from 53% of usage in June 2024 to 73% in June 2025, even as work-related usage kept growing steadily. The study also found that work use was more common among educated users in highly paid professional occupations, a reminder that office adoption and consumer adoption are not the same market.

OpenAI’s Signals data page, updated May 11, 2026, says its consumer analysis is based on messages from July 2024 through March 2026. Its Q1 2026 update said adoption broadened early in the year, with the fastest growth among users over 35 and a more balanced gender mix. OpenAI has also said consumer ChatGPT usage is largely about getting everyday tasks done, with three-quarters of conversations focused on practical guidance, seeking information and writing.

For agencies, that is the cautionary signal. A team serving ecommerce shoppers, retail consumers or B2B buyers cannot assume the same AI search habits across those groups. LinkedIn and other professional communities may make AI feel more universal than it is, while consumer audiences may still lean on traditional search and use AI in narrower ways. Datos’ State of Search Q4 2025 report added new metrics for Google AI Mode clicks and query length changes, underscoring how quickly the measurement game is changing. The smarter bet is not a generic AI service line built on hype. It is a segmented growth plan that matches the client’s buyer, the buyer’s channel behavior and the tools that audience already trusts.