AI Adoption Climbs as Digital Confidence Grows Among Older Adults, Study Finds
AI adoption among older adults is rising quickly, more than doubling in just one year. The digital story, however, is more complex than just increased usage. Media Logic’s recently released 2026 Consumer In Sights (CIS) study of older adults’ media preferences takes a closer look at digital confidence, channel use and how they think about and use AI. What emerges is a picture of older adults who are increasingly using AI-powered search tools, including Google AI Overviews, while still remaining cautious about how much they trust them. While concern about AI has dropped from 54% to 43% from 2025 to 2026, there is a gap between AI usage and the knowledge that AI is being used.
As the 2027 Annual Enrollment Period approaches, AI is likely to play a growing role in how consumers research, compare and select Medicare plans. Below, we take a closer look at the survey findings and the implications for Medicare marketers.
AI Use Doubles from 2025 to 2026 Among Older Adults
Our study revealed AI use increasing among adults 63-75 from 16% to 34% in just one year, with virtually identical in adoption rates for younger (age 63-68) and older (69-75) cohorts. The strongest predictor of AI adoption was not age, but rather digital confidence. Those who reported high digital confidence were nearly 10 times more likely to be active AI users than those with middle and low confidence.
What Actually Predicts AI Adoption?
Sampled from 625 surveyed adults between ages 65–73, age as the driver of AI adoption would have been the obvious guess... but self-rated digital confidence is the stronger signal.
While digital confidence continues to rise, more than half of respondents remain cautious about the use of AI. Our survey revealed an interesting tension: Older adults may lack trust in AI, but are also willing to experiment with it, even for personal or sensitive topics.
Across most topics tested, respondents are more open to using AI than they are to trusting it—a gap that shows up in retirement planning, auto insurance shopping and household budgeting. Medicare AEP plan comparisons are the exception: 56% have used or would use AI to compare plans, and 64% trust it for that purpose, the highest trust score of any topic tested. For marketers, a prospect's use of AI is now a touchpoint worth planning for.
AI Skeptics Aren't Actually Resisting
Of self-identified AI skeptics, 85 percent also report frequently using Siri, Alexa, or Google AI Overviews.
The AI They Don't Know They're Using
They call themselves AI skeptics. Their daily habits say otherwise
The technology isn't the barrier. The label is.
Q. Which best describes your attitude about AI? Please select 1–2.
Q. You mention that you use a voice assistant. What do you use them for? Please select any that apply.
Q. Please see this example of how Google presents an AI summary when showing results of a search. Which of the following best describes you?
While there is plenty of negative press around AI, 85% of self-identified AI skeptics surveyed said they frequently use Siri, Alexa, and Google AI Overviews. Additionally, when panelists were shown an example of a Google AI Overview, 52% of respondents recalled seeing it but didn't realize it was AI-generated. The pattern is consistent. It seems to be the label, not the technology, that gives them pause.
Takeaways for Marketers:
With older adults consistently using AI summaries and tools, the stakes are different than a typical Google search. A shopper asking, "Should I switch Medicare plans?" wants a direct answer, not a list of links to click through. Medicare marketers need to ensure narrative content is optimized for Generative Engine and Answer Engine Optimization (GEO/AEO).
AI platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity collect data from many sources, such as websites, newspapers and social media channels. A practical starting point is to audit how your plan appears in AI-generated results, then build structured content for your owned channels to help those systems surface accurate information. Just like SEO, GEO requires ongoing evaluation and optimization.
Rank the AI platforms older adults used most in the past 12 months, then reveal the actual survey percentages.
Rank The Popular AI Platforms
Which AI platforms did adults 63–75 use the most in the past 12 months? Drag to rank them (most used at the top), then check your answer below.
Drag a tile to move it.
Q. Which AI platforms or services have you used in the past 12 months?
None of the above (21%) omitted from possible answers above.
Older adult awareness and usage of AI is among the sharpest trend lines in this year's media preferences survey. As this audience moves further into digital confidence and closer to AI adoption, optimizing Medicare marketing for AI-powered platforms is becoming as important as any paid channel.
Want to read the full report? Find it here.
