That is the central new angle emerging from PYMNTS Intelligence’s report, “How AI Becomes the Place Consumers Start Everything.” Rather than focusing only on adoption rates, the report shows a deeper shift in sequence. Consumers are changing where they start tasks such as planning, learning, shopping and deciding. That change is already reshaping discovery, intent and, eventually, commerce.
The report finds that AI use has moved well beyond experimentation. More than 6 in 10 U.S. consumers used dedicated AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Perplexity in the past year.
What matters more than raw usage is how behavior differs across users. Younger consumers and heavy users increasingly treat AI as a first stop rather than a supplement to search or apps.
PYMNTS Intelligence surveyed 2,113 U.S. adults across 54 personal use cases, ranging from shopping and finances to health, education and travel. The data shows that while adoption is broad, intensity and trust determine whether AI simply assists existing habits or replaces them.
Three data points illustrate how quickly this shift is taking hold:
- More than 60% of consumers used a dedicated AI platform in the past year, signaling that AI has crossed into mainstream behavior rather than niche experimentation.
- Over one-third of Gen Z consumers and Power Users now turn to AI first when starting personal tasks, marking a clear move away from traditional search and browsing.
- 42% of consumers who primarily use dedicated AI platforms report using search engines less, compared with 33% among those who mainly encounter AI through search summaries.
Beyond these headline figures, the report details how usage intensity reshapes habits. Power Users, defined as those performing 25 or more AI-driven tasks, extend the technology across shopping discovery, planning, learning and wellness. For them, AI functions as a general-purpose personal system. Light Users remain cautious and concentrate on lower-risk activities. Only 14% of Light Users feel comfortable using AI for financial or banking tasks. That gap underscores a critical point for banks and payments firms. Widespread use does not automatically translate into high-stakes trust.
Another notable finding concerns how AI changes discovery itself. Consumers who engage through dedicated AI platforms are more likely to replace older behaviors rather than layer AI on top of them. Among these users, 43% say they have fully replaced prior methods. Those who rely on AI-generated summaries inside search engines tend to supplement existing habits instead. Environment matters.
The report also highlights where commerce may land. One-third of consumers say they prefer linking a digital wallet to an AI platform to make payments. Redirecting to a merchant site ranks second. This preference extends beyond Power Users, suggesting that wallets may serve as the trust layer that allows AI-driven intent to turn into transactions without forcing consumers to hand over sensitive data directly to AI apps.
The broader implication is not that consumers will move all financial activity into AI overnight. It is that behavior is forming now. Consumers are building comfort, habits and expectations around AI-mediated journeys. Even Light Users are expanding use month by month in simple tasks. That momentum is difficult to reverse.
For leaders in banking, payments and the digital economy, the challenge is no longer whether AI will matter. It is where it will sit in the journey and how trust will be earned. The front door is moving. The rails that carry intent, data and payment must adapt. The shift is already underway.
