Artificial intelligence in everyday life

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a topic of the future – it already accompanies many people in their everyday lives. AI refers to technical systems capable of performing tasks that would normally require human intelligence. The “In Focus” survey conducted in cooperation with m.core/WU Vienna in November 2025 focused precisely on this question: How do people perceive the use of AI in different areas of life? And where have they actually used AI before?

A total of 295 people participated (50.5% female, 48.8% male, 0.7% diverse; average age: 44.12 years).

How is AI perceived across different areas of life?

According to the study results, AI is already being used in several areas of daily life – but the evaluation of AI depends strongly on the specific context. While its use in physical activity and sports is viewed mostly positively (5.24 among people who had already encountered AI and 3.8 among those who had not – on a scale from 1 = very negative to 7 = very positive), AI in social relationships is regarded less favorably (3.65 among people with prior AI experience and 2.77 among those without).

Participants reported using AI most frequently in their professional lives (31.9%), followed by shopping (25.8%). AI was used least in the area of religion and spirituality, where only 1.7% had any experience.

Across nearly all areas, a general pattern emerged: People who had already used AI tended to evaluate it more positively than those without prior contact. Furthermore, men were more open to AI in many areas than women – with the exception of media, food and nutrition, and religion and spirituality, where no gender differences were found.

What AI is used for & what value it provides

Another part of the study examined concrete examples mentioned by participants for each area. Common responses included: receiving information about symptoms of illness, creating nutrition plans, study assistance, writing texts, trip planning, preparing job applications, creating workout plans, and generating financial plans. These insights demonstrate the diverse ways in which AI is used in everyday life – from simple information searches to personal planning and creative tasks.

To assess the perceived added value of AI, participants were asked to indicate their level of agreement with the following statement:
“AI gives me more opportunities to do the things I really want to do.”
They were also asked to differentiate between their own level of agreement and their perception of how others of the same age and gender feel about the statement.

Conclusion

The results of the survey clearly show that Artificial Intelligence has already found its way into many areas of life – although to very different degrees. Perceptions of AI vary depending on previous experience and the specific area of application.

You can find the full report (in German) here!

published: 09.12.2025