In Latvia, 58.2% of Internet Users Utilize Artificial Intelligence

The use of AI for personal purposes has increased significantly - from 28% in 2025 to 53% in 2026. For work, it is used by 24.8% of Internet users compared to 15.5% the previous year, and for education - 12.6% compared to 8.2%. The most active users of AI are young people aged 16-24 (91.3% compared to 72.7% in 2025). They use the technology for personal needs (78.6%) and studying (59.1%). The largest annual increase in users was recorded among residents aged 45-54 - from 27% to 56.1%, as well as in the age group 35-44 - from 44.1% to 70.2%. Despite the lower activity of older generations, 36.8% of residents aged 55-64 use AI compared to 12.1% the previous year and 18.4% of residents aged 65-74 compared to 5.7% in 2025. The main reason for not using AI, cited by residents of all ages, is the lack of everyday necessity. Among schoolchildren and students, 95.8% use AI: primarily for personal needs (81%) and studying (72.3%). Employed residents use it more actively than the unemployed - 62.6% and 57.2%, respectively. For professional tasks, 33.2% of employed individuals and 12.7% of job seekers use AI. The most active AI users are in the Riga region (65.2%). Here, the technology is used for personal needs by 58.4% of residents, for work - 33.8%, for studying - 14.7%. The largest increase in users over the year was noted in Vidzeme (24.8 percentage points) and Zemgale (24.1 p.p.). Of the 41.8% of Internet users who do not yet use AI, 27.4% do not see a daily necessity for it, 7.2% lack knowledge and skills, and 2.5% are unaware of such technology. Data security and privacy concerns were cited as reasons for ignoring AI by 1.3%, and ethical considerations by 1.1%. Residents of Latvia have become more critical of online content. In 2026, 26.9% of Internet users checked the reliability of information compared to 20.1% the previous year. Most often, they evaluated sources or searched for additional information online (24%), as well as consulted with others and referred to alternative sources (11%). Another 6.1% checked information by participating in online discussions or observing them. The most active fact-checkers are young people aged 16-24 (40.6%, an increase of 9.7 p.p. over the year) and residents aged 25-34 (38.8%, an increase of 8.9 p.p.). Positive dynamics are observed in all age groups, including among residents aged 65-74 - from 8.2% to 10.5%. Checking information is more characteristic of people with higher education (35.9% - 9.3 p.p. more than the previous year). Among them, 32.7% check the reliability of sources or seek alternative information. Residents with basic and lower education check information more actively than those with secondary education: 26.8% and 19.8%, respectively. The first group also includes young people aged 16 and older who are still receiving secondary education and exhibit high digital activity. In the Riga region, Internet users evaluate online information most critically: 33.7% check its reliability, while 30% check the reliability of sources. In other regions, the share of those checking the reliability of information is 23.9% in Zemgale, 22.2% in Latgale, 21% in Vidzeme, and 16.1% in Kurzeme. Smart devices and systems were regularly used by 63% of residents in the past three months - an increase of 19.8 p.p. compared to 2024. The most popular were smartwatches and fitness bracelets (34.9%). They are used more frequently by women (39.1%) than by men (30.1%). Devices for managing energy consumption in the home were used by 37.6% of men and 31% of women. The use of smart thermostats, meters, and other similar solutions grew particularly quickly - from 11.4% in 2024 to 34.1% in 2026. Internet-connected household appliances and devices for gardening and irrigation were used by 20.7% of residents. Home security solutions were more frequently applied by men (18.5% compared to 13.9% of women). The most active users of smart devices are people aged 16-44: their share in different age groups ranges from 72.6% to 76.3%. Among residents aged 55-64, 47% do not use such devices, and among people aged 65-74, the figure is 62.4%. At the same time, environmentally responsible disposal of devices remains rare. Only 9.4% of mobile phones, 8.7% of desktop computers, and 8.2% of laptops and tablets are recycled. Most residents prefer to keep old devices at home: 62% of mobile phone owners do this (an increase of 7.3 p.p. compared to 2024) and 37.7% of laptop owners. Selling or giving devices to others is becoming less common: the share of such cases for mobile phones decreased from 25.8% in 2024 to 19.7% in 2026. According to a survey, 94.3% of residents in Latvia regularly use the Internet. Among people aged 16-44, the share of users exceeds 99%, in the group aged 55-64 it is 91.5%, and among residents aged 65-74, it is 78.3%. Over the past decade, the figure in the older age group has more than doubled. The most popular purposes for using the Internet are online banking (87%), messaging in messengers (85.5%) and email (85.4%), calls and video calls (79%), as well as social networks (77%). In the election year, residents' activity in discussing civic and political issues online increased. In 2026, 19.9% of users expressed opinions on websites and social media compared to 16.1% in 2025. 18.1% participated in online consultations or signing civic and political initiatives - an increase of 2.8 p.p. compared to the previous year. The popularity of online shopping is also growing: 76.8% of residents in Latvia made purchases online, with 60.1% doing so in the last three months. The most active online shoppers are people aged 25-34 (79.9%). Activity decreases with age, but elderly residents are also increasingly purchasing goods online.