Survey: More than 8 in 10 Romanians use AI, with workplace adoption still limited

More than 80% of Romanians use artificial intelligence tools in at least one aspect of their lives, while nearly four in five AI users rely on them at least once a week, according to a new AtlasIntel survey commissioned by Edge Institute. The poll also found that AI has been adopted much faster for personal use than in workplaces or education. The survey, conducted between June 17 and 21 among 2,000 adults, found that 83% of respondents use AI tools in at least one context, while 16.9% said they do not use them at all. Most respondents use AI for personal purposes, with 77.9% reporting such use. Meanwhile, 15.4% said they use AI at work and 9.3% in school or university. Among AI users, 50.7% said they use the technology several times a week and 26.2% daily, meaning that nearly 77% interact with AI tools at least once a week. The study found that AI adoption is particularly widespread among younger Romanians. Some 97% of respondents aged 18 to 29 said they use AI, while usage falls to 68.5% among those aged 50 to 59 and to 29.3% among people over 70. AI use also increases with education level, rising from 80% among respondents without higher education to 93.3% among university graduates. Despite widespread adoption, respondents rated their AI skills relatively modestly. Nearly half (48.1%) described themselves as having only basic AI skills, 40.8% considered themselves intermediate users, and just 11.1% said they were advanced users. The survey suggested that Romanians recognize both the benefits and the risks of AI. Saving time was cited as the technology's main advantage by 65.4% of respondents. At the same time, 55.5% agreed that AI will eliminate some jobs, while 51.8% believe it poses risks to personal data protection and security. However, concerns about job losses appear to be greater at the societal level than on a personal one. While more than half of respondents expect AI to eliminate jobs, only 21.9% said they were worried that their own job could be affected within the next five years, whereas 51.1% said they were little or not at all concerned. The survey also explored attitudes toward AI use in public institutions. Respondents were most uncomfortable with AI making medical diagnoses, with 69.7% expressing discomfort, and with AI deciding on social benefits, opposed by 57.4%. By contrast, respondents were more supportive of using AI for administrative tasks, such as processing applications or evaluating the performance of public employees. The survey was conducted online by AtlasIntel for Edge Institute between June 17 and 21, 2026, among a nationally representative sample of 2,002 Romanian adults. [email protected] (Photo source: H akinmhan/Dreamstime.com )