跨越雄心鸿沟：AI用户如何获取超越答案的价值

H O WA I U S E R S A R EG A I N I N GM O R E T H A N A N S W E R S T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S This consumer AI report examinesevolving attitudes toward AI. It presents findings from research conducted by anindependent research firm, Edelman Data & Intelligence,among 1,000 consumers in the United States aged 13and older, between July 3, 2025, and July 22, 2025. As both AI tools and human behaviors continue to shift,the report offers a research-backed lens for businessleaders, organizations, and curious individuals seekingto understand what’s changing and why. “ A I E N T H U S I A S T S ”D I F F E R E N T I A T ET H E M S E L V E S AI has long beenintroduced by its potentialto be agreat equalizer. Intuitive. Accessible. Empowering for all.But in practice, usage reveals a different reality: those who use AI to make decisions are significantly more likely to describethemselves as ambitious and confident than those who don’t. In fact,these AI-supported decision-makers are now 30percentage points (ppts) more likely to self-identify asambitious, and 14ppts more likely to describe themselves asconfident as compared to those who don’t use AI. This gap has widenedsince Microsoft released its initialconsumer AI report“From Burnout to Breakthrough”in July2025, reflecting more than just a difference in technology use—itsignals a shift in how people perceive their potential and act on it. Gaps in confidence and ambition are widening betweenthose who use AI and those who don’t WIDENING GAPS IN CONFIDENCE AND AMBITION(% self-describing with trait) The key to understanding (and closing)this gap lies not just inwhouses AI,buthowthey use it. Rather than risk being left behind, many areseeking ways to catch up to the progress they areseeing in others’ personal development, growth,and digital readiness. Call them“AI Enthustiasts;” The latest research shows a path forward—a clearprofile emerging among highly engaged users, whoreport greater ambition, confidence, and AI-drivenbenefits in all areas of life. defined as people who either use AI to makedecisions or treat AI as more than a toolor search engine. Their behavior offers ablueprint for what meaningful adoption lookslike at this crucial turning point. AI adoption continues to climbsteadily, but not evenly. Even at the height of adoption in 2012, U.S.smartphone penetrationonly grew about 8.5%overa comparable 3-month window (from 47% to 51%). While some user groups are advancing quickly, othersstill lag behind. The share of American consumers using generative AIin their personal lives outside of work at least once aweek grew from 37% to 46% since the previous waveof research. This growth is largely being driven by youngergenerations: 58% of Gen Z and Millennials now usegenerative AI at least once a week (+10ppts). These findings reinforce wave 1 reporting thatthose born between 1995 and 2012, referred toas “Generation AI,” were 16ppts more likely touse AI solutions than older generations. This 24% AI adoptionincrease in three monthsoutpaced the adoption rateof smartphones by 3x. Thoughtech-savvy AI Enthusiastsare pulling ahead, recent advancementsmake it easier for new users to engage. From voice input to on-screen interaction, generative AIsolutions across the industry are lowering the barrier to entryand expanding helpful use cases. Features like speaking insimple language instead of typing prompts, or allowing AI tointerpret what’s on a user’s screen (with permission), reducefriction and open the door to more natural, everyday use. Over the past year, Microsoft has integrated thesecapabilities into the Copilot ecosystem, helping usersinteract more intuitivelyon their PC and within the familiarenvironments of their apps, web, and devices. W I T H T I M E ,U S E R S A R EU N L O C K I N GM O T I V A T I O N In wave1, the most reported emotion experienced when usingAI for decision-making was “relief.” Users felt thetechnology could ease decision-making and lightentheir mental load.That relationship has sinceshifted, as they push off that foundation to adopta more action-oriented posture. The most common emotionspeople report after using AIto make a decision are now“more informed and smarter”(41%) and “more confident inmy decision” (39%). Notably, “motivated” has overtaken “relieved” asa more frequent response, rising by 7 percentagepoints since the first wave. These emotions reflect agrowing sense of agency and direction among users. The way users feel after using AI to make a decision is changing This shift in mindset is being matched by tangible results.Younger audiences continue to lead in AI engagement, areincreasingly seeing benefits in key areas of their lives. Sixty-one percent of Gen Z andMillennials say AI has had a positiveimpact on their professional lives(+8ppts) and 64% report a positive effecton skills and learning (+7ppts). In fact, compared to older generations,younger users are more likely to say that everyarea of their