Artificial intelligence has officially crossed the threshold from a tech curiosity to an everyday expectation for the vast majority of Americans. According to the second annual U.S. AI Insights Report released by TD Bank, 78% of Americans now use AI-enabled tools in their daily lives.
However, the report highlights a significant “trust gap”: while usage is skyrocketing, only 18% of consumers would trust AI to make financial recommendations on its own. The data suggests that while Americans value the efficiency of algorithms, they still want a human “behind the wheel” for significant financial decisions.
The survey of more than 2,500 consumers reveals that AI proficiency is climbing across all age groups. Nearly two-thirds of respondents (67%) say they are more skilled with the technology than they were just a year ago.
AI usage by generation:
- Gen Z (Ages 18-29): 90% usage rate
- Millennials (Ages 30-45): Strong adoption, particularly in AI-powered banking assistants.
- Gen X (Ages 46-61): 49% now use AI for personal finance (up from 10% last year).
- Baby Boomers (Ages 62-80): 30% usage for financial management.
The rise of “hybrid” banking
The report finds that consumers are most comfortable when AI operates “behind the scenes” to enhance security and organization rather than acting as an autonomous advisor.
| Activity | Consumer Comfort Level |
| Fraud Detection | 67% |
| Tracking Spending | 66% |
| Calculating Credit Scores | 66% |
| Budgeting Help | 62% |
| Automating Savings | 61% |
Despite the growth in these areas, trust drops sharply when AI is positioned as a solo decision-maker. “Americans are not resisting AI, they’re redefining the role they want it to play,” said Ted Paris, Head of Analytics, Intelligence & AI at TD Bank U.S. “They want speed and simplicity, but they still expect people to be accountable for the outcomes.”
General trust in AI-provided information has risen to 62%, up from roughly 50% in 2025. However, this figures pales in comparison to the trust consumers place in traditional sources:
- Friends and Family: 90% trust level
- Banks: 85% trust level
Kiran Vuppu, U.S. Chief Information Officer at TD, emphasized that transparency and human accountability are now “foundational requirements” for financial services.
The findings are based on an online survey conducted in February 2026 by Big Village. The data was weighted by age, gender, geographic region, race, education, and income to ensure an accurate representation of the total U.S. population based on Census Bureau data.
Demographic breakdown of respondents:
The survey included a diverse sample of 2,504 Americans. To ensure statistical reliability, the report analyzed groups including:
- White: Approximately 60% of the sample
- Hispanic: Approximately 19% of the sample
- Black/African American: Approximately 13% of the sample
- Asian: Approximately 6% of the sample
The survey confirms that while the “AI inflection point” has arrived, the future of finance remains a partnership between machine intelligence and human expertise.
