Bengaluru : Artificial intelligence is rapidly evolving from a productivity tool into a trusted everyday companion for young Indians, influencing how they learn, solve problems, make decisions, and seek personal guidance, according to a new study released by PulseAI Research, the consumer intelligence and insights division powered by Smytten.
Titled The AI Companion Report: How Young Indians Are Learning, Working, and Making Decisions with AI, the study surveyed over 2000 respondents across India and reveals that AI is no longer confined to workplace productivity or information retrieval. Instead, it is becoming embedded across everyday life, from education and research to career planning, personal decisions, and information discovery, reflecting a broader behavioral shift in how consumers engage with technology. The report also reflects PulseAI Research’s AI-led approach to decoding consumer behavior, combining AI-powered research capabilities with real-time consumer intelligence to help brands understand emerging trends faster and at greater depth.
One of the strongest indicators of this shift is the growing willingness to rely on AI for personal guidance. More than 70% of respondents said they have already used AI for career advice, while over half have turned to it for travel planning, fitness advice, and personal decision-making. Looking ahead, 62% said they would be comfortable using AI for career coaching, 56.9% for health guidance, and 54.5% for financial planning, signaling growing acceptance of AI in advisory roles traditionally occupied by people.
Learning has emerged as the primary driver of AI adoption. Nearly 30% of respondents said they use AI mainly for studying and learning, followed by research and information gathering (22.3%). Users are also increasingly comfortable delegating cognitively demanding tasks to AI, with research (29.6%) and creative ideation (29.4%) emerging as the two most commonly delegated activities.
The findings also indicate that AI is fundamentally changing information behavior. More than four in ten respondents now turn to AI before search engines when looking for information online, while AI emerged as the single most trusted source of information among respondents, ahead of search engines, social media, and human experts. Nearly two-thirds also said AI has reduced the time they spend searching for information online.
As AI becomes increasingly woven into daily routines, dependence on the technology is also becoming evident. Nearly 47% of respondents said their daily lives would be moderately or significantly disrupted if AI became unavailable for just one week. Respondents said they would miss AI most for research. studying and learning and creative work, underscoring its growing role across education, work and everyday productivity.
Commenting on the findings, Swagata Sarangi, co-founder of PulseAI Research, said, “AI isn’t replacing human judgment; it’s fundamentally changing how judgment is formed. For decades, enterprise decisions have relied on probabilistic predictions drawn from historical data. The next frontier is deterministic future intelligence, AI that continuously learns from real consumer behaviour, validates every signal, and enables businesses to act with far greater confidence about what comes next. The companies that win won’t simply have more data; they’ll have better intelligence. At PulseAI Research, we’re building AI that transforms billions of consumer signals into validated, decision-ready intelligence, enabling brands to act with greater confidence instead of navigating a maze of disconnected predictive models.”
Despite the growing reliance on AI, respondents remain aware of its limitations. Privacy concerns (27.6%) and overdependence on technology (27.8%) emerged as the biggest concerns, followed by inaccurate information (16.9%). The findings suggest consumers increasingly recognize AI’s value while expecting stronger safeguards around transparency, privacy, and responsible innovation.
Methodology
PulseAI Research surveyed 2000 consumers across India to understand evolving perceptions, usage patterns, and trust in artificial intelligence. The respondent base was predominantly young and digitally native, with 88.2% of participants aged between 18 and 34 years.