Lorka AI Report Finds Higher Workplace AI Adoption Among Younger Workers

New York, United States, August 26th, 2026, FinanceWire

Lorka AI recently announced its State of AI 2026 report, which found that younger workers are adopting artificial intelligence tools for professional and work-related tasks at notably higher rates than the general population. This trend runs counter to the common perception of young people using AI primarily for casual or entertainment purposes.

According to the State of AI 2026 report by Lorka AI, which surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults, 35% of Americans use AI tools regularly. That figure rises to 47% among 18-to-24-year-olds, the highest rate of regular AI use among the age groups highlighted in the report. The report also found that 42% of 18-to-24-year-olds use AI for work or professional tasks, compared with 28% of the overall population.

Findings Consistent With Other Industry Surveys

The trend identified in the Lorka report aligns with findings from other organizations tracking AI adoption. Pew Research Center found that 21% of U.S. workers said at least some of their work was done with AI, up from 16% roughly a year earlier. Pew also found that workers younger than 50 were among the groups most likely to use AI at work.

Deloitte's most recent global survey of Gen Z and millennial workers reported similar results. According to the survey, 74% of Gen Z workers now report using AI to some extent in their day-to-day work, up from 57% the previous year.

Possible Factors Behind the Trend

The report and related survey data suggest a few possible explanations for the higher adoption rate among younger workers. One factor may be that workers earlier in their careers have fewer established habits to unlearn when adopting new tools, compared with workers who have long-established ways of completing tasks.

Another factor relates to the type of work often assigned to junior employees, including summarizing, formatting, first-draft writing, and reviewing documentation tasks that align with common AI use cases. In the Lorka survey, research and learning was the most common use case for AI overall at 59%, followed by writing and editing at 36%.

Spending Patterns on AI Tools

The Lorka report also examined spending on AI tools and subscriptions. Average monthly spending was reported at $47.88 overall, rising to $82.66 among full-time employees and $124.42 among respondents from households earning $100,000 or more. The report notes that these figures reflect multiple factors, including income and job type, and are not attributed solely to younger workers.

The survey additionally asked respondents what factors matter most when selecting an AI tool. Accuracy and reliability ranked highest at 48%, followed by ease of use at 40%. Availability of additional features ranked lower, cited by just over a quarter of respondents.

Implications for Employers

The report suggests that AI adoption in many workplaces is occurring at the individual level, often without formal organizational sign-off, training programs, or visibility to management. This pattern may create a gap between organizational awareness of AI use and actual usage occurring among employees.

The full findings on usage patterns, spending, and demographics are available in Lorka AI's State of AI 2026 report, alongside data from Pew Research Center's tracking of AI in the workplace and Deloitte's annual Gen Z and Millennial Survey.

About Lorka AI

Lorka AI is an all-in-one AI platform that provides access to multiple chat models and productivity tools designed to help professionals streamline workflows, research, and content creation.

Website: https://www.lorka.ai

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