Consumers are increasingly open to artificial intelligence (AI) not only answering questions but acting on their behalf, but that willingness remains selective and uneven. New PYMNTS Intelligence data shows that a significant proportion of consumers are still wary of handing over control, but are showing significant interest in autonomous AI assistants for daily planning.
Overall, 3 in 10 consumers said they would be interested in an autonomous AI assistant to handle at least some of their daily planning, indicating early but significant demand for agent AI in personal situations. This data suggests that the next stage of consumer AI adoption will depend more on trust, task specificity, and perceived value than conversation.
Interest in AI assistants is real but not universal
The data is based on a survey of 2,113 adult U.S. consumers conducted from Oct. 14 to Oct. 29, and found that while enthusiasm for fully autonomous AI assistants is still far from mainstream, it's no longer niche. Approximately 30% of consumers are willing to let an AI assistant independently manage certain personal tasks, such as coordinating their schedule or helping with shopping decisions. At the same time, resistance from holdouts remains strong. Approximately 44% of consumers who do not currently use conversational AI say they would not allow an autonomous AI agent to perform personal tasks included in a survey.
This divide highlights a critical tension in consumer AI adoption. Curiosity and openness coexist with skepticism, especially among those who have not yet integrated conversational AI into their daily lives.
Still, the data shows that resistance is not absolute. More than one in five conversational AI holdouts expressed interest in using autonomous agents for tasks related to daily planning, organizing, shopping, and purchasing, suggesting that practical use cases could draw new users to the market.
The findings point to a gradual adoption curve, rather than a steep jump compared to generative AI adoption, as previously reported by PYMNTS. Consumers seem less interested in handing over broad powers to AI and more willing to test autonomy in limited, familiar contexts where the rewards are clear.
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Example of using daily planning and shopping leads
Daily planning and commerce-related activities are emerging as the most attractive use cases among consumers who welcome AI assistants. Nearly one-third of consumers say they would like an AI agent to help them plan and organize their daily lives, making it the most cited task category overall. Shopping and purchasing follows suit, with just over 30% wanting to delegate at least part of the process to an AI assistant.
Other categories have slightly lower clustering, but still show significant interest. About a quarter of consumers would allow an AI agent to help them write and communicate, learn and self-improve, and manage their health and wellness information. Tasks such as planning trips, local activities, and exploring entertainment and hobbies are also of interest to approximately one in four consumers.
Financial challenges remain more delicate. Only one in five consumers would allow an autonomous AI agent to manage their financial and banking-related activities, highlighting the persistence of trust barriers when money and security are involved. Even as consumers have become more comfortable with AI in other areas, they remain wary of automation in high-stakes areas.
Notably, this data shows that as familiarity with AI increases, the proportion of consumers who reported an intention to allow an AI agent to “do no activity” drops sharply.
Direction of implementation pointed out by power users
The strongest signals of future demand will come from existing AI power users who use AI for multiple tasks. Among consumers who already use conversational AI frequently, interest in autonomous assistance is increasing dramatically in nearly every category. Roughly two-thirds of power users say they want an AI agent to autonomously handle some of their daily planning and organization, more than double the overall population.
We're seeing a similar spike in commerce-related tasks. Nearly 6 in 10 power users are open to AI-powered shopping and purchases, and nearly half want an AI agent to help them discover things to buy, write and communicate, explore entertainment and hobbies, and more. Openness increases, even in traditionally sensitive areas. Nearly half of power users say they want to allow AI agents to manage their finances and banking.
In contrast, non-users remain much more skeptical. More than 4 in 10 non-users say they would not allow an autonomous AI agent to perform the tasks listed, reinforcing the idea that trust and familiarity are prerequisites for adoption.
