It starts with a small, ordinary moment. A wardrobe full of clothes, a clock running late, and still nothing that feels right for the day ahead. For a growing number of Indians, that moment is now settled by a phone. An app checks the weather, remembers what has not been worn in weeks, and suggests a combination its owner had never tried. The same phone then picks a restaurant for Saturday night and squeezes two days in Jaipur into a single weekend plan.
Shopping is where the change shows first
Shopping is where Indians meet AI most often. A NielsenIQ study of consumers across India’s top eight metros found that 92% had already used AI at some point while shopping. The finding, presented at the NIQ Insight Summit India 2026 and reported by The Economic Times, was echoed in a separate account of the same study, which put the figure at 92% across 16 product categories.
The same research shows how people move between tools rather than sticking to one. About 79% of respondents reported using ChatGPT while shopping, and 72% reported using Gemini. In practice, a shopper might compare prices on one assistant, read reviews through another, and ask a third for a shortlist, all before opening a shopping app.
The scale underneath this habit is striking. Earlier this year, OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman wrote that ChatGPT had crossed 100 million weekly users in India, making the country its second largest market after the United States. Multiple reports confirm the figure.
Weekends and holidays are going the same way
Travel planning is following shopping closely. Agoda’s 2026 Travel Outlook found that a third of Indian travellers already use AI to plan their trips, while 68% say they are likely to use it for their next one. The Agoda press release itself confirms both figures, so this is not a single-source claim.
What travellers want from AI is practical, not flashy. About 38% pointed to recommendations for local attractions and activities, 37% to a personalised itinerary, and 29% to destination suggestions. Restaurant recommendations and budget management also featured, at 23% and 22% respectively.
Trust is not the main barrier. Nearly nine in ten Indian travellers, 88%, said they either trust AI-generated travel recommendations or feel neutral about them, with more than half, 53%, expressing clear trust. That comfort fits a country where travel apps were already a habit: nine in ten Indian travellers reported using travel apps when booking trips in Agoda’s earlier survey.
Why the shortlist matters more than the search
The deeper change is subtle. A traditional search returns links and leaves the sorting to the reader. An AI assistant does the sorting itself and hands back a shortlist. For a family planning Sunday lunch in Gurugram, that shortlist may become the entire plan. For a shopper hunting for sneakers under Rs 5,000, it may decide which brands even get a look.
That puts new pressure on businesses. A company may know exactly where it ranks on a search results page and still have no idea what an assistant tells a customer who asks for the best option in its category.
What to keep in mind before you let AI decide
None of this means people have handed over control. The person on the other side of the screen still decides whether to accept a suggestion or keep looking. That is worth holding on to, especially as assistants get better at comparing products and, eventually, completing purchases on a user’s behalf.
- Check the shortlist, do not just accept it: ask a second assistant or check one review source before buying something expensive.
- Watch for missing options: if every answer names the same two brands, search once the old way to see what was left out.
- Keep prices and dates in your own hands: confirm the final price, return policy, and travel dates yourself before paying.
- Use AI for the draft, not the decision: let it build the itinerary or the comparison, then edit it to fit your budget and taste.
Used that way, AI becomes what it already is for millions of Indians: a faster way to get to a good decision, not a replacement for judgment. The wardrobe, the shopping list, and the weekend plan still belong to the person making them. The phone just helps them get there a little quicker.
FAQs
How many Indians use ChatGPT every week?
OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman said earlier this year that ChatGPT had crossed 100 million weekly users in India, making it the company’s second largest market after the United States.
How many Indian shoppers have used AI while shopping?
A NielsenIQ study across India’s top eight metros found that 92% of consumers had used AI at some point while shopping.
Do Indian travellers trust AI trip recommendations?
According to Agoda’s 2026 Travel Outlook, 88% of Indian travellers either trust AI-generated travel recommendations or feel neutral about them, and 68% say they are likely to use AI for their next trip.
What do travellers most want AI help with?
Finding things to see and do at a destination, cited by 38%, followed by building a personalised itinerary, cited by 37%, according to Agoda.
From the morning wardrobe to the weekend itinerary, AI is quietly becoming part of ordinary Indian life. The smart move is to use it well, and to keep the final call your own.
