AI Usage in Adults Increases as Digital Confidence Climbs

New data confirms rising digital savviness among older healthcare audiences

ALBANY, NY, UNITED STATES, August 27, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Media Logic USA, LLC has released its 9th annual Consumer in Sight (CIS) older adult media preferences survey, which found that artificial intelligence (AI) adoption among adults ages 63–75 more than doubled in one year, from 16% to 34%. Titled "An Audience In Motion: 2026 Media Behaviors of Older Adults: Digital Confidence, AI Adoption, and the Channels That Reach Them", the proprietary study surveyed 625 nationally representative respondents from April 22 to May 1, 2026. It documents a demographic adopting digital and AI-driven behaviors faster than industry assumptions typically account for.

Forty-one percent of respondents rated their technology skills in the top tier, up five percentage points from 2025 — and older respondents (69–75) were just as likely as younger ones (63–68) to rate themselves this highly. Smartphones widened their lead over computers as the primary device for internet access, 64% to 51%.

Rising AI adoption coincided with falling concern about its usage, which dropped from 55% to 43% year over year. Digital confidence, not age, was the strongest predictor of use: high-confidence respondents were nearly ten times as likely to be active AI users as low- or no-confidence respondents.

The survey also found a gap between perception and behavior. Eighty-five percent of respondents who self-identified as AI skeptics were already using AI through tools such as voice assistants and Google's AI-generated search summaries, often without recognizing them as AI tools. Fifty-seven percent were aware that Google displays AI summaries, and a majority read rather than skipped them.

Denise Carney-Jones, Group Director and Healthcare Practice Lead at Media Logic, notes that the data challenges long-standing assumptions about how older consumers engage with technology.

"The most useful finding is not that older adults are using AI; it's that the word 'AI' shapes their reactions more than the technology itself. When we describe a tool by what it does rather than labeling it as AI, hesitation drops.”

The findings carry direct implications for Medicare and healthcare marketers. While AI is the sharpest trend line in this year’s data, adoption rates across devices and digital platforms continue to outpace expectations, and no single channel owns the path to purchase. Fifty-three percent of respondents research online before deciding, with 45% first learning about products through Google Search and 58% through social media. Facebook leads social at 72% daily use, but YouTube has emerged as a strong second platform, gaining in both time spent and trust. For healthcare marketers, the message is the same: credibility is earned, not assumed, and campaigns that build it across TV, digital, social, and search will outperform single-channel approaches.

Data highlights include:

- AI adoption among adults 63–75 more than doubled year over year, from 16% to 34%, while concern about AI fell from 55% to 43%.

- 41% rated their digital technology skills in the top tier (8–10 on a 10-point scale), up five points from 2025, with no meaningful gap between age cohorts.

- About 80% of self-identified AI skeptics were already using AI through voice assistants and search summaries they did not recognize as such.

- YouTube has become a destination, used by 85% of respondents with 66% navigating there directly rather than via search; Facebook remains a daily habit for 72%, though usage is softening among younger respondents as YouTube gains share.

The full report and additional findings are available at: medialogic.com/blog/healthcare-marketing.


About Media Logic

Media Logic is a national leader in healthcare marketing, delivering strategic, breakthrough solutions that drive business results. With more than two decades of health plan expertise, Media Logic understands the nuances of Medicare, group and individual exchange marketing, spanning branding and lead generation, retention, and content marketing. Learn more at medialogic.com and subscribe to our healthcare marketing newsletter at medialogic.com/newsletter.

Robin Stoutenburg
Media Logic USA, LLC
+1 518-456-3015
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