• by Laurie Sullivan , September 28, 2025

The use of generative artificial intelligence (GAI) has grown in the past two years as consumers continue to invest in their connected lifestyles.

About 53% of consumers in a recent Deloitte survey say they have experimented with or use the technology, and its use in the workplace has grown from 6% to 34% during the past two years.

On average, consumer households expect to spend 17% more on connected devices this year -- about $896 in 2025 vs. $764 in 2024 -- with household monthly spending on digital services also rising to $183 per month in 2025 versus $175 per month in 2024.

Deloitte’s sixth Connected Consumer study surveyed approximately 3,500 U.S. consumers in June 2025 about their digital lives. The findings reveal that while consumers embrace generative AI, many feel the technology advances too quickly, often without sufficient safeguards or transparency.

The rapid pace of generative AI's growth has alarmed consumers, making trust and transparency in protecting data issues of concern. The survey found that 82% of generative AI users had concerns that it could be misused, up from 74% in 2024.

Respondents worry about devices or digital accounts being hacked, data breaches, identities being stolen, and their location being tracked.

Loyalty will come down to consumers having trust in the companies they buy from and work with.

Confidence in technology companies remains low, however. While 71% of consumers fear bad actors such as hackers, 64% are concerned that technology companies themselves may not protect their data. 

Seventy-five percent of survey respondents strongly or somewhat agree that new features improve their lives, but 69% strongly or somewhat agree that tech companies innovate too quickly without paying enough attention to mitigating risks such as privacy and data security. 

As generative AI becomes increasingly integrated into daily life, concerns about security and transparency increase.

Despite rapid adoption of the technology, skepticism remains. Some 74% of respondents said they are familiar with or experimenting with generative AI, and 62% of regular users say the increasing popularity of the technology makes it more difficult for them to trust what they see online.

Only 20% of survey respondents say tech providers are very clear about what data they collect, and only 27% say they have high or very high confidence that their data is protected.