Exploring household adoption and usage of generative AI: new evidence from Italy
Summary
Focus
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has spread rapidly since late 2022, with tools such as ChatGPT and Google Gemini entering everyday life. People use them for shopping, study, entertainment or even financial and medical advice. While firms' adoption of AI has been widely studied, much less is known about how households engage with these new technologies. Understanding household awareness and use is important because it shapes how AI affects skills, income and inequality.
Contribution
We contribute to the literature by presenting results from a comprehensive nationally representative Italian survey of gen AI adoption. We use a new module of the Italian Survey of Consumer Expectations, which was fielded in 2024. The survey covers 5,000 individuals and collects information on AI knowledge, actual and expected use, and socioeconomic characteristics. We not only identify which groups of people are more likely to use AI and for what purposes but also provide new evidence on the economic return of adoption by linking AI use to labour income.
Findings
By mid-2024, three out of four Italians aged 18–75 had heard of generative AI, and about one in three had tried it in the past year. Around one in five used it every month. Awareness and use are higher among men, younger people, students and those with more education. Income matters less, and living in a big city does not make much difference. Looking ahead, people expect to use AI more for leisure and education than for financial or medical advice. We also find that using AI is associated with higher income. On average, users earn about 2% more than non-users. This is similar to the return from half a year of additional schooling. However, men appear to benefit more, suggesting that AI may widen existing gender gaps in the labour market.
Abstract
We present findings from a specialized module on generative artificial intelligence (gen AI) included in the Italian Survey of Consumer Expectations (ISCE), conducted in 2024 with a representative sample of Italian individuals. This analysis offers novel insights into current and anticipated interactions with gen AI tools and the potential benefits from adoption. As of April 2024, 75.6% of the Italian population aged 18–75 was aware of gen AI, 36.7% had used it in the previous 12 months, and 20.1% reported monthly usage. Socio-economic factors significantly influence adoption rates, with higher usage observed among men, individuals with college degrees, and younger individuals, particularly students. Looking ahead, gen AI is expected to be used more frequently for education and leisure activities in the coming months. Finally, using a Mincer earnings regression, we highlight that the income return associated with gen AI usage is around 2%.
JEL classification: D10, O33
Keywords: generative AI, households' survey
