Despite being a generation or two apart, teenagers and adults under 60 use artificial intelligence (AI) in similar ways.

New findings from the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) reveal that half of adults (aged 18-59) and 45 percent of teenagers (aged 13-17) have never used AI. Of those that do use AI, they do so in comparable ways, primarily for editing, writing, and summarizing.

Top uses of AI among adults are editing documents (20 percent), drafting emails (17 percent), summarizing notes (14 percent), and creating artwork (13 percent). Teens’ top uses of AI are writing reports (20 percent), editing documents (19 percent), summarizing notes (19 percent), and creating presentations (16 percent).

“It’s fascinating to see such close alignment between teens and adults in their use of AI, particularly for productivity tasks like writing and editing,” said Jennifer Hamilton, senior vice president of education and child development at NORC. “This finding challenges the notion that AI is primarily a tool for younger generations, revealing that adults under age 60 are engaging with these technologies at similar rates. As both teens and their parents navigate the educational and professional landscape, AI seems to be a shared resource across generations.” 

Research also found that for a large majority of teens and adults who do not use AI, privacy is a top concern.

Access more about the findings in NORC’s recent article, “Like Parent, Like Teen: AI Usage Patterns Reveal Striking Parallels Across Generations.”