Better AI Prompts Drive Repeat Usage, Benefit Apple

Generative AI is becoming more useful for consumers. The technology is improving, and consumers are getting better at using it. The PYMNTS Intelligence report “From First Prompt to Daily Habit” found that between 58% and 69% of consumers who already use generative AI said they use it more often now than when they first started, depending on the task.

The report described a reinforcing cycle. Better tools produce better results. Users learn how to give those tools better instructions. The combination makes AI useful for a wider range of activities.

Usage gains are spreading across consumer tasks rather than concentrating in one area. Learning and writing had the highest share of frequent users. Roughly 47% of learning users and 45% of writing users said they use generative AI often. These tasks lend themselves to repeated AI use because consumers see the benefit quickly. A user can ask AI to explain a concept, summarize information, or refine a piece of writing, then return for a related task. The report said that repeated interaction moves AI from a one-time experiment into a familiar part of the process.

Power users advanced faster than lighter users. The report said 61% of personal power users said they rely on generative AI more than when they started. That compares with 32% of mainstream users. Light users showed the weakest increase, at 19%. Heavier use gives them more opportunities to learn which prompts and approaches produce useful results, the report said. That creates a cycle where greater familiarity leads to more effective use and more reasons to keep using AI.

Consumers also perceive meaningful improvements in the technology. The report said ease of use and speed have improved among personal users. Accuracy also improved. Privacy and safety showed weaker progress, with 39% of personal users saying those areas have improved.

For Apple (AAPL), which is rolling out its Apple Intelligence suite, the data points to a growing market for AI features that are easy to use and integrated into daily tasks. The report’s finding that learning and writing tasks have the highest frequent usage aligns with Apple’s focus on productivity tools like summarization and writing assistance. Apple’s AI strategy emphasizes on-device processing and privacy. The report found that only 39% of users saw improvement in privacy and safety. That gap represents both a risk and an opportunity for the company.

As AI becomes easier to use and consumers become more capable of directing it, the technology is moving from a novelty into a tool that supports practical parts of everyday life. Apple is expected to release its next major AI update at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June. The company will need to demonstrate progress on privacy and ease of use to capture the growing base of power users.