RAND: AI use among parents rose to 72%, with a widening gap by income

The share of US parents using AI for work or personal reasons rose from 54% in 2025 to 72% in 2026, but the increase was uneven by income, according to a new report from RAND. In families earning $150,000 or more, 84% of parents used AI, compared with 63% in families earning less than $50,000.

Higher-income parents were also more likely to encourage their teens to use AI for schoolwork, 67% against 45%. Teens' habits followed: in spring 2026, 57% of teens in the highest-income families used AI for homework compared with 43% in the lowest, while a year earlier both groups were at 39%. Teens who felt their parents encouraged AI use were far more likely to use it for homework (81%) than those who felt discouraged (38%).

"It's not simply a question of whether students should use AI, but how they use it," said lead author Heather L. Schwartz. The report draws on surveys of about 1,000 parents and 1,800 teens aged 12 to 18 and was funded by the Gates Foundation.