One in four Gen Z using AI to make sense of money

• A quarter (25%) of Gen Z adults, around 2.6 million young people, say they’ve used AI tools to help make decisions about their finances
• Across the UK, 13% of all adults – equivalent to 7.1 million people – have used an AI chatbot to support a financial decision
• The most common uses include budgeting or tracking spending (39%), choosing investments (34%) and seeking credit score tips (30%)

AI is transforming how Gen Z manage their money, with millions now using it for financial guidance, according to new research from lifetime ISA provider OneFamily.

A survey of 2,000 UK adults found a quarter of Gen Z (25%), around 2.6 million young people, have used AI chatbot tools to help them make personal financial decisions. Overall, 13% of adults – an estimated 7.1 million people – say they’ve used AI chatbots to support a money‑related decision.

Among those who have used AI for this purpose, the most common reasons were getting help with budgeting or tracking spending (39%), choosing investments (34%) and seeking credit score advice (30%).

But while usage is rising, trust in the technology still varies widely. Less than a quarter (22%) of UK adults say they trust AI. This is significantly lower than other sources, such as family and friends (61%), financial advice (60%) and Google search or their own research (58%).

Trust in AI tools rises to 35% among Gen Z, but drops to just 18% amongst Gen X. Despite this, 40% of adults say they would consider using AI in future to explain jargon, suggesting people would use it for clear guidance.

Looking ahead, over half of Gen Z say they expect to use AI in the next year for tasks like budgeting and tracking their spending (56%), checking tips to improve their credit score (53%) and understanding financial jargon (55%).

Beth Tait, Personal Finance Champion at OneFamily, said: “A growing number of us are using or are just starting to use AI in our everyday lives. It’s no surprise that the younger generations are turning to AI tools to help them with their budgeting and financial decision making and we expect this to only grow over the coming years.

“But what’s really interesting is that, while many people are using it, trust remains relatively low, particularly compared to other sources of information such as friends and family. As AI becomes more developed and widely used, trust is likely to rise. However, it’s equally important that people continue to have access to other trusted knowledge sources, to help them make informed decisions about their financial future”

Ends

Notes to Editors

Unless otherwise stated, all research was conducted by Opinium on behalf of OneFamily.

Views of those aged 18+ were collected between 24–27 March 2026 among a sample of 2,000 UK adults.

One in four Gen Z adults (25%) have used AI for financial support. 

Using the most recent ONS population estimates for adults in the UK (mid-year 2024), there are 10,340,491 Gen Z adults (aged 18-29). On a nat rep survey of 2,000 UK adults, 360 are Gen Z (aged 18-29). 90 have used AI chatbot tools to make decision about personal finances.

90 / 360 * 10,340,491 (UK Gen Z population) = 2,585,123 (shorthand 2.6million)