In Spain 54.8 per cent of 16- to 74-year-olds had used generative artificial intelligence within three months. That is 16.9 percentage points more than the previous year, according to a survey published on 11 November by the Spanish statistics office. Use of the applications was particularly widespread among young people.
Generative artificial intelligence can produce texts or images, among other things. In the 16-to-24 age group, 83.3 per cent used such tools. Among 65- to 74-year-olds, the figure was 19.5 per cent. According to the statistics office, the proportion of users fell as age increased.
The difference between men and women was much smaller than that between age groups: 55.3 per cent of men and 54.2 per cent of women used generative artificial intelligence. The gap thus narrowed from four percentage points in 2025 to 1.1 percentage points.
Respondents used the applications for various purposes. Of all 16- to 74-year-olds, 48.7 per cent used them privately, 27.6 per cent for work and 22.7 per cent for formal education. Multiple purposes could be selected.
Among those who had not used such tools in the three months, 56.9 per cent said this was because they did not know they existed. A further 18 per cent said they did not know how to use the applications. Privacy, security or privacy as a reason, according to 8.5 per cent.
Online online shopping also increased: 65.7 per cent of 16- to 74-year-olds had shopped online for private purposes in the three months before the survey. That was 6.1 percentage points more than in 2025. Internet access via a fixed or mobile broadband connection was available in 98 per cent of households with at least one person in this age group.
The survey took place from 6 April to 16 July 2026. The statistics office surveyed participants by telephone or online. The theoretical sample comprised 26,858 households. The usage rates cited refer to the period before each interview, not to the population as a whole. According to the office, the published results are final.
Editor: Daniel Mayer (Article created with AI assistance).