72% of American adults have no plans to use AI for holiday shopping

Bank of America’s 2026 holiday spending survey, conducted by Ipsos among 2,062 U.S. adults from September 10–12, found that 72% of respondents do not plan to use AI tools for holiday shopping this year, up 23 percentage points from 49% a year earlier, with a ±2.2-point margin of error at 95% confidence. The question covered overall holiday shopping rather than gift purchases alone or actual AI usage. Among non-users, 42% cited personal or ethical reasons, and 37% of that group said AI reduces the personal meaning of gifts. The result signals consumer resistance to AI adoption in retail despite heavy industry promotion, a potential headwind for merchants and platforms investing in AI shopping assistants. Next, watch whether AI usage rebounds during the actual holiday season and whether retailers disclose concrete AI-driven sales or engagement data.