Study on the Share of Paid AI Assistant Users in the UK Released
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The paper "Who Pays for AI?" by Datta, Lambert, and Schneider estimates, based on UK bank payment records, that in June 2026, 5.1% of UK adults paid for AI assistants, about 1 in every 20 adults, up from 2.3% a year earlier. The study also shows that in July 2026, Claude's share of AI subscription spending rose from 7% in December 2025 to 29%, while ChatGPT's fell from 73.5% to 52.5%. The paper also documents the speed at which paid AI has spread, as well as differences in usage by age, gender, income, occupation, and region. The paper's data package is provided free of charge, but an email address is required to download it, and the purpose of the data must be stated on first download.
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- Hacker News AIOne in 20 UK adults now pays for an AI assistant
A paper by Datta, Lambert and Schneider (2026) finds that 5.1% of UK adults paid for an AI assistant in June 2026, up from 2.3% a year earlier, based on bank payment records weighted to represent UK adults. Claude's share of AI subscription spending rose from 7% in December 2025 to 29% in July 2026, while ChatGPT's fell from 73.5% to 52.5%, and total AI spending in July 2026 was £1,600 per 1,000 adults, or about £1.07 billion a year at that rate. Adoption varies widely, with adults aged 20 to 29 5.9 times as likely as those 60 and over to have paid for AI, London leading at 78.5 paid users per 1,000 adults against a UK rate of 50.6, and IT professionals highest among occupations at 20.3%.
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