How Many AI Tools Can You Name? The Current State of AI Familiarity with US Consumers

Since the launch of ChatGPT in November of 2022, we have been using our quarterly research-on-research to track the familiarity and usage of generative AI platforms among US consumers. As time has progressed, we have observe both familiarity and usage of the various platform increase. In the first of our new three part series around AI familiarity and usage, we dive into the results from our recent wave of research-on-research to see how things have changed.

Let’s dive in.

Overall

When looking at total familiarity using the top two boxes of a five-point scale, ChatGPT continues to lead in the minds of consumer with 43% of respondents saying they are very or extremely familiar with the platform. Gemini follows at 37%, while Copilot reaches 30%. Familiarity is lower for Grok, Claude, and Perplexity, each at 20%, and drops further for Duet at 14%. Overall familiarity is concentrated among a small set of leading platforms rather than being evenly distributed.

Wave-Over-Wave

We have seen familiarity with generative AI platforms increase with each wave of our research-on-research. This most current wave was no different as we see that familiarity has increased across all platforms. ChatGPT grew from 23% in Wave 1 to 43% by Wave 6, representing the largest absolute gain over time. Gemini rises from 12% to 30%, while Copilot increases from 12% to 37%, narrowing the gap with Gemini by the final wave. Grok and Claude show slower but consistent growth, each moving from 7% in Wave 1 to 20% by Wave 6.

Gender

Breaking down the data by gender, we found that men report higher familiarity than women across all platforms. For ChatGPT, 52% of men are very or extremely familiar compared with 34% of women. Gemini shows a similar gap, at 47% among men versus 27% among women, whereas Copilot stands at 38% among men and 22% among women. Even for less familiar platforms such as Grok (28% men, 13% women) and Claude (26% men, 14% women), the same pattern holds.

Age

Age shows some of the largest gaps in familiarity. Younger adults report the highest awareness across platforms, particularly those under 35. ChatGPT familiarity reaches 58% among 18–24-year-olds and peaks at 61% among those aged 25–34. Gemini follows closely at 39% and 50% in those same age groups, while Copilot reaches 32% and 42%, respectively.

Familiarity declines steadily with age beyond midlife. Among adults aged 45–64, ChatGPT familiarity drops to 33%, and falls sharply to 10% among those aged 65 and older. Similar declines appear for Gemini (30% to 11%), Copilot (24% to 9%), Grok (13% to 3%), and Claude (14% to 3%).

Income

Income shows a strong upward relationship with familiarity. ChatGPT familiarity increases from 32% among those earning under $20,000 to 64% among those earning $100,000 or more. Gemini increases from 27% to 55% across the same income range, whereas Copilot rises from 20% to 51%. Higher-income respondents consistently report greater familiarity across platforms. Lower-income groups report substantially lower familiarity, particularly for less-established platforms. Grok increases from 15% among those earning under $20,000 to 36% among those earning $100,000 or more, while Claude rises from 14% to 37%.

Political Affiliation

Familiarity varies by political affiliation, though platform rankings remain consistent. ChatGPT reaches 48% familiarity among Republicans and 46% among Democrats, compared with 40% among Independents and 26% among those identifying as Other. Gemini follows a similar pattern, ranging from 42% among Republicans to 18% among Other respondents. Copilot, Grok, and Claude all show higher familiarity among Republicans and Democrats than among Independents and Others, with levels declining steadily across groups.

Ethnicity

Familiarity varies across ethnic groups, with Hispanic/Latino respondents reporting the highest levels across platforms. For ChatGPT, familiarity reaches 56% among Hispanic/Latino respondents, compared with 49% among African American respondents and 48% among Asian or South Asian respondents. Caucasian respondents report lower familiarity at 39%, though ChatGPT still leads within the group.

The same pattern appears across other platforms. Gemini familiarity reaches 49% among Hispanic/Latino respondents versus 32% among Caucasian respondents. Copilot stands at 39% among Hispanic/Latino respondents and 29% among Caucasian respondents, while Grok and Claude also index higher among Hispanic/Latino respondents than other groups. Despite these differences, the relative order of platform familiarity remains consistent.

Panel

Finally, we broke the data down by sample panel source. The data highlights a wide variation in familiarity levels. ChatGPT familiarity ranges from 29% in Panel F to 68% in Panel U, with Panels A, K, and P falling between 36% and 40%. Gemini shows a similar spread, from 27% in Panel A to 66% in Panel U. Grok and Claude also range widely across panels, reinforcing how results can shift depending on panel composition.

This is a good reminder that how you build your sample really matters. Strategic blending helps avoid the bias that can sneak in when you don’t understand the attitudes and behaviors of the panels you use.