AI search is being talked about as though it’s already the default — as if users everywhere have switched their habits and discovery now works the same way for all of us. In practice, things are much more complicated. Yes, AI search is expanding quickly, but its uptake is far from uniform. One of the biggest factors shaping this gap is something rarely highlighted in search discussions: household income.
AI adoption isn’t equal — and the divide is growing
My agency has been monitoring how people search since early 2025. In our most recent wave of research, we added a new filter: household income. The results revealed a stark and meaningful split.
Overall, about 27% of people report using ChatGPT on a regular basis. But once you segment by income, the story looks very different:
£25–30k households: ~18% usage
£50–60k households: ~30% usage (the average UK household income for the fiscal year ending 2024 falls in this range)
£70–80k households: ~49% usage
£100k+ households: ~48–58% usage
Put simply, people in higher-income households are more than twice as likely to be using generative AI tools. This isn’t a minor fluctuation. It undermines a core assumption behind many search strategies: that AI adoption is progressing at roughly the same rate for everyone.
What we’re actually seeing is a new form of digital inequality in how people find information and make choices. And this divide is building on top of existing gaps. Across the UK, FutureDotNow reports that 52% of working-age adults are unable to carry out all the essential digital tasks needed for work. AI adoption is being layered onto this existing digital…