Household tasks trust in AI high, personal matters kept private - survey shows findings
Revised Article:
Embracing AI: A New Normal for Daily Life in Russia
In the heart of 2025, Russians are leaning into the future with artificial intelligence (AI) becoming an integral part of their day-to-day routines. A city-wide survey by MegaFon among smartphone users paints a picture of practical AI usage. Nearly two-thirds of respondents engage AI to plan leisure activities, map out travel routes, and pick movies - but they're yet to open up for deep conversations with AI.
The study, conducted in major Russian cities including Omsk, had a sample size of 3600 individuals. Roughly 79.1% of participants interact with AI using voice assistants, generative services, and recommendation platforms. The most popular scenarios are information search (57.4%), text editing (27%), and learning (20.1%).
AI has been sneaking into Russians' downtime activities. sixty-eight percent of respondents regularly use AI to arrange leisurely activities - from movie choices to beach parties. Almost one-quarter of respondents rely on AI recommendations for movies and music, and one-fifth use it for trip planning and hotel booking. Leisure-centric activities such as finding entertainment video content, learning about concerts and exhibitions, or chatting with a bot are carried out by 17.8% and 13.3% of respondents, respectively.
Photography enhancement has become an everyday affair for almost every second respondent (44.4%) thanks to AI. Their confidence in sharing improved images is boosted by the widespread availability of tools. More than one-quarter of users feel more confident with AI-edited photos. Devices like the HONOR Magic 7 offer an impressive range of AI-supported camera features, from a 15-50x super zoom to portrait modes and concert shooting functions.
AI has also found a place as an artistic collaborator, with 57.6% of users publishing content created or edited by AI on social media. Beyond everyday tasks, AI has begun to nurture emotional wellbeing. Nearly one-third of respondents employ AI to alleviate stress and anxiety, while 38% use it to combat boredom and loneliness more effectively. Some even find communicating with AI easier than human interaction, with one in five (19.6%) admitting to this preference, and 12.2% seeking regular or occasional AI psychologist therapy.
Interestingly, although Russians are delegating daily tasks to AI, they aren't ready to share their innermost thoughts. Algorithms are seen as convenient tools to navigate the daily grind, but they can't replace the emotional depth that human interaction provides.
"AI is currently generating a stir in smartphone circles," shares Eduard Merishavyan, Director of Retail Commerce. "In 2023, major tech giants introduced AI-equipped devices and OS updates, piquing Russians' curiosity. In 2024, we sold 81% more AI-enabled devices in our network compared to the previous year. The hype around AI devices is on the rise, and interest continues to grow steadily."
Additional Insights:
- AI research and development in Russia is being spearheaded by institutions like Novosibirsk State University and the Artificial Intelligence Research Institute. Advanced and hybrid AI models are being developed, combining traditional approaches with logical and symbolic AI technologies.
- AI is being utilized in the military context, with AI-equipped drones being deployed which raises concerns about electronic warfare capabilities.
- Russia is engaging in international collaboration on AI governance, particularly with countries like China and India through the Indian-Chinese-Russian AI Committee.
"I'm not sure if we should rely solely on technology like artificial-intelligence for deep conversations, as the study shows that many Russians engage AI for practical tasks like planning leisure activities and mapping out travel routes, but they're yet to open up for deep conversations with AI."
"While artificial-intelligence has found a place as an artistic collaborator, with a majority of users publishing content created or edited by AI on social media, Russians still see algorithms as convenient tools to navigate daily tasks rather than replace the emotional depth that human interaction provides."
