AI: 20% of investors say they've used an AI chatbot, Yahoo Finance-Ipsos poll finds

OpenAI's ChatGPT has turned AI into the hottest trend on Wall Street and in Silicon Valley. Companies ranging from Microsoft (MSFT) and Google (GOOG, GOOGL) to Goldman Sachs (GS) have either rolled out or are experimenting with generative AI chatbots.

So who's using AI chatbots? It turns out investors are more likely to use the software than non-investors.

According to a Yahoo Finance/Ipsos survey of 1,276 Americans, 20% of investors say they've used an AI chatbot in the last year, nearly twice as many as the 11% of non-investors who say they've used the technology.

Still, some 77% of investors say they haven’t used a chatbot in the last year, while 81% of non-investors said the same.

Generative AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Microsoft's Bing, Google's Bard, and others have set off a gold rush in the tech industry.

And there's little wonder why — ChatGPT reached an incredible 100 million users just two months after it debuted in November 2022.

Companies are now looking to the technology as a means of providing consumers and enterprise customers with a new means of doing everything from searching the web to interacting with apps and services.

That's sent shares of AI-related companies skyrocketing with graphics giant Nvidia (NVDA) benefiting handsomely from the boom. The chipmaker's stock is up 165% year-to-date. AMD (AMD), meanwhile, is up 92%, while Intel (INTC) is up just 20%.

But generative AI chatbots aren't the only form of AI out there. AI financial advisers, or robo-advisers, are available across a wide array of financial institutions and offer algorithmically driven investing strategies.

Like AI chatbots, investors are more apt to use AI financial advisers compared to non-investors.

Some 20% of investors surveyed said they are very likely or somewhat likely to use an AI financial adviser. Just 12% of non-investors say they'd use such a platform.

That said, 66% of investors said they are very unlikely or somewhat unlikely to use an AI adviser, while 64% of non-investors felt the same.

As AI continues to spread across various industries, and more investors and non-investors become comfortable with the technology, there could be an uptick in who is willing to use an AI adviser.

For now, however, it looks as though the average American is still wary of the technology.

Daniel Howley is the tech editor at Yahoo Finance. He's been covering the tech industry since 2011. You can follow him on Twitter @DanielHowley.

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