AI is becoming Spain’s new trusted adviser
From shopping and job hunting to investing and checking company claims, artificial intelligence is now influencing decisions for millions of people across Spain
Artificial intelligence is no longer just a novelty in Spain. According to a new report by communications consultancy LLYC and research company Appinio, it has become part of everyday life for the vast majority of people, influencing everything from shopping choices to career moves and financial decisions.The study found that AI adoption has now reached 93.5% of the Spanish population, far exceeding earlier forecasts that suggested usage would reach around 60% by 2025. Just as striking is the pace of growth, with nearly two-thirds of users saying they are using generative AI "much more" than they were a year ago.
That increase is being seen across all age groups. Among people aged 18 to 29, 65.2% say their use has grown significantly, while the figure rises to 67.3% among those aged 30 to 44. Even among the 45 to 65 age group, more than six in ten report using AI far more frequently than before.
One reason may be the level of trust people place in the technology. The report found that 70.8% of Spaniards consider AI to be impartial, a quality many respondents do not associate with brands, institutions or other information sources.
That trust is increasingly shaping consumer behaviour. Almost half of adults aged between 18 and 65, around 44%, said they used generative AI during their most recent purchase. For many, it was not simply a tool for gathering information but an active part of the decision-making process.
In fact, 38.6% described AI as being "key to the decision", while a further 55.9% said it was "just one more factor". Combined, that means 94.5% of those who used AI during a purchase gave it some degree of influence over the final outcome.
The report also highlights what researchers call the "crocodile effect". Once users receive an AI-generated answer, 66.2% rarely or never click through to the original source links. Meanwhile, 92.1% of consumers who use AI in purchasing decisions either trust the technology more or become more cautious when its answers contradict information provided directly by a supplier.
The influence of AI extends well beyond shopping. Nearly 60% of professionals say they have used, or plan to use, artificial intelligence to investigate a company's reputation before applying for a job or accepting an offer. And when choosing between similar positions, 45.3% would favour an employer offering advanced AI tools.
In the financial world, confidence is growing too. More than a third of active investors believe AI will manage their savings better than a human adviser within the next two years. Among people aged 45 to 65, almost 60% already use artificial intelligence to analyse financial information, while 76% of regular AI finance users believe it performs better than traditional advisers.
The technology is also becoming a tool for accountability. More than 90% of people who actively monitor brands said they would use AI to check sustainability claims and help identify practices such as greenwashing.
Taken together, the findings suggest that artificial intelligence is rapidly evolving from a helpful assistant into something much more influential: a trusted intermediary helping Spaniards decide what to buy, where to work and even how to invest their money.
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