Consumer time spent with artificial intelligence (AI) so far has had a negligible impact on the overall time spent with media, according
to the findings of PQ Media's just-released Global Consumer Media Usage Forecast.
While the release does not include any specific accounting of consumer time spent with AI chatbots
and other tools, the report finds "AI is having only a minor impact on media consumption," although it goes on to point out: "queries answered by AI tools on popular search engines like Google and
Yahoo are actually shortening the length of time some consumers are spending online."
More broadly, PQ says it found no "discernible consumption differences" so far for media content sites due
to AI usage.
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Overall, the report projects consumer time spent with media will increase to nearly 84 hours weekly in the U.S. and just over 59 hours globally this year, up from what was a
relatively slow expansion in 2025 due to the paucity of big international sporting events and national elections.
“We saw no indication that the uncertain worldwide economy
caused by the various geopolitical tensions and shifting economic policies in 2025 negatively impacted media usage, despite anticipated increases in the cost of technology used to access media content
on digital devices during the latter half of the year,” states PQ Media CEO & Founder Patrick Quinn. “Instead, consumers reverted to previous media consumption habits we’ve
tracked over the past 25 years, in that they use media as a catharsis when the economy weakens and more people are stuck at home after losing a job, allowing them to watch more television and read
more books, among other secular media consumption habits.”
Consumer time spent with ad-supported media continues to wane, falling to a 52.3% share of total media usage worldwide,
and to 44.3% in the U.S.