Artificial intelligence is increasingly moving beyond the workplace and becoming part of everyday life in Poland. According to the latest report by advisory and technology company Future Mind, titled “How Is AI Changing the Everyday Lives of Poles? Artificial Intelligence in Work and Personal Life in 2026”, 40% of respondents now use generative AI in their private lives regularly, meaning daily or at least once a week. A year earlier, this figure was 24%.
At the same time, the number of people who have had no contact with generative AI is falling. As familiarity with the technology grows, the nature of public concerns is also changing. Poles are now less afraid of AI as a new phenomenon and more concerned about how it may affect their relationships, privacy and way of thinking.
AI after hours is no longer an exception
This year’s results show that AI has firmly entered the private lives of Poles. Regular use of generative artificial intelligence tools outside work increased by 16 percentage points over the year. At the same time, the share of people who have never used AI in their private lives fell from 30% to 14%.
This means that a clear majority of respondents have already had contact with this technology. AI is increasingly ceasing to be an experiment and is becoming simply another tool used in everyday life.
“This is an important change also from the perspective of the pace of adoption itself. A year ago, communication around AI was still dominated by the image of a technology tested mainly by more advanced users. Today, it is clear that artificial intelligence is beginning to function in much more ordinary contexts, such as acquiring knowledge, solving everyday problems or organising private life. This shift from curiosity to practical support is one of the most important changes in this year’s edition of the study,” comments Maciej Cieślukowski, Senior UX Researcher at Future Mind, a Solita company.
Mainly knowledge, but increasingly also everyday support
As in the previous year, when asked how artificial intelligence could positively affect their personal lives in the future, Poles primarily see AI as a practical tool. The most frequently indicated benefit remains the possibility of developing skills and knowledge. This impact of generative AI on personal life was indicated by 43% of respondents, almost the same as a year earlier, when the figure was 44%.
In second place is the role of AI as a personal assistant in everyday matters, indicated by 30% of respondents, the same as a year earlier. This shows clearly that the basic image of AI in the private lives of Poles remains functional and task-oriented.
Other positive effects mentioned by respondents include the use of chatbots as collaborators, indicated by 14% of respondents, AI as a companion or friend, mentioned by 11%, and the possibility of having a digital avatar that shares its knowledge, indicated by one in ten Poles.
On the other hand, almost one in four respondents, or 24%, still do not see how AI could positively affect their personal lives in the future. This is an important signal for the market. Despite the rapid popularisation of the technology, adoption does not yet mean widespread enthusiasm. For some Poles, artificial intelligence remains useful; for others, it is neutral, while among some people it still creates distance and caution.
Concerns remain, but their focus is shifting
Although people are becoming more familiar with AI, this does not mean unconditional trust in the technology. Among the most frequently indicated negative consequences of its development are still disinformation and manipulation, mentioned by 41% of respondents, as well as violations of privacy or misuse of identity, indicated by 38%.
In both cases, however, social concerns are no longer focused only on general and abstract threats. Increasingly, the key question is what AI will do to people’s everyday functioning.
The most interesting year-on-year changes relate precisely to these more personal concerns. Fear of the dehumanisation of interpersonal relationships increased from 35% to 37%, while concern about the weakening of critical thinking skills rose from 25% to 31%. At the same time, the share of respondents afraid of losing their jobs due to automation fell from 29% to 25%.
This means that as the debate about AI matures, fear of the spectacular “replacement of humans” is declining, while concern is growing about quieter and more gradual consequences: shallower relationships, dependence on ready-made answers and erosion of independent thinking.
“This year’s results show very clearly that fear of AI is not disappearing, but changing its focus. We are less and less afraid only of large, abstract scenarios, and increasingly ask how technology will affect our relationships, privacy and ability to think independently. This means that the conversation about AI is maturing — and that today, user education and responsible design of experiences with this technology are becoming just as important as the development of the tools themselves,” says Weronika Denisiewicz, Senior UX Researcher at Future Mind, a Solita company.
Fewer simple answers on regulation
Poles’ attitude towards the regulation of artificial intelligence by public institutions is also changing. A year ago, almost half of respondents, 48%, believed that AI should be regulated more strongly. Now this share has fallen to 39%. At the same time, 29% of respondents believe that the current level of regulation is sufficient, while 14% think there should be less regulation.
This result does not necessarily mean that Poles no longer see the need for oversight of AI development. It is more likely that the subject has simply become more complex. In last year’s edition of the survey, the demand for “more regulation” may have been an intuitive response to uncertainty.
Today, after the EU AI Act has entered into force, some respondents are more aware that regulations already exist. The question is no longer only “should AI be regulated?”, but rather “how should it be regulated wisely and effectively?”. This is a sign of a more mature public debate around artificial intelligence.
As a result, the latest edition of the Future Mind report shows a dual change. On the one hand, AI is becoming increasingly present in the private lives of Poles and is turning into an everyday tool. On the other hand, greater familiarity with the technology does not eliminate caution, but makes it more specific and conscious.
This is no longer only a story about fascination with a new technology. It is a story about a society that is learning to live with AI on its own terms.
The report was based on a survey conducted among 1,047 office and knowledge workers from various industries in Poland, using the CAWI method, or computer-assisted web interviews. The study was carried out between 27 November and 8 December 2025 in cooperation with SW Research.
The main objective of the project was to examine how generative AI is changing office and knowledge work, and how this technology affects the private lives of Poles. The findings reflect the perspectives of professionally active people and help explain how respondents expect artificial intelligence to influence individuals, society and companies.
