Thursday, 12 November 2026 11:30 AM
Company Update
A new research program introduces the AI Proximity Score, a 0 to 100 measure of how integrated AI has become in everyday life.
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESS Newswire / November 12, 2026 / National Research Group (NRG), a Stagwell (NASDAQ:STGW) company, today launched AI Observatory, a monthly tracker of how artificial intelligence fits into everyday life for US adults.
Each month, AI Observatory surveys roughly 1,000 US adults ages 18 to 64, weighted to reflect national demographics, on what they use AI for, how they feel about using it, and how they understand the technology. A parallel survey of roughly 100 AI Trailblazers, drawn from NRG's proprietary panel of AI superusers, adds the view of people who live ahead of the curve.
Much AI polling focuses on abstract social and political concerns or on how often people use AI. Both matter, but they can miss the lived experience. Many people express concern about AI's effect on jobs and society, yet tend to feel positive once they use it. NRG built AI Observatory to close that gap.
"I spent years covering politics and elections, studying the social, demographic, and cultural currents that shape what people think and feel," said David Byler, Vice President at National Research Group. "AI has, almost overnight, gone from fiction to one of the core forces shaping American life. It is upstream of nearly everything else, which is why we are investing the resources needed to understand what it is changing and why."
The flagship measure is the AI Proximity Score, a single 0 to 100 number showing how integrated AI has become in a person's life. It captures not just whether someone uses AI, but how close it sits to how they live. Four equally weighted components are each scored 0 to 100 and averaged:
- AI Use: how often people use AI
- AI Reach: the areas of life AI touches, such as work, school, home, entertainment, and hobbies
- AI Roles: the tasks people give AI, across tool, assistant, and teammate roles
- AI in Conversation: how often people discuss AI with others
In the latest survey, the national AI Proximity Score was 42 out of 100, which points to broad adoption of AI that has not yet become fully integrated into daily life.
Proximity is closely linked to how people feel about AI. Among adults with high proximity, 86% say AI will have a positive impact on society, compared with 53% of those with moderate proximity and 27% of those with low proximity. High-proximity users also feel more secure about their jobs (68%, compared with 45% of moderate-proximity users), find AI easier to fit into how they do things, and feel more ownership over AI-assisted choices. In NRG's analysis, proximity tracks views of AI more closely than usage frequency alone.
AI Observatory also tracks which AI companies are rising and falling, from the perspective of both AI Trailblazers and weekly users in the general population. Momentum is measured as the share saying a company is rising minus the share saying it is falling. Among weekly users, ChatGPT (+48) and Gemini (+46) lead. Claude scores +48 among AI Trailblazers, compared with +24 among weekly users in the general population.
Each wave includes:
- A stable core of headline metrics
- A fresh module tied to a live topic in the news
- Segmentation by proximity level and by whether people discuss AI in daily life, along with other divisions that predict how people feel about AI
- Detailed brand tracking, including momentum and awareness, across both the general population and AI Trailblazer panels
Five months of AI Observatory data are available today, and the next wave is being collected now. Selected findings appear as presentation-ready charts and trends, and NRG will add new findings, analysis, and commentary each month as the data builds wave over wave.
"AI is fast becoming part of people's daily routines, leaving businesses to make consequential decisions about products and customer relationships without a clear picture of what people value or trust," said Rob Barrish, Head of Technology Strategy at National Research Group. "NRG's experience across technology, entertainment, and culture gives us a distinctive understanding of how people make new products and experiences part of their lives. AI Observatory gives leaders evidence now, while they can still shape the experiences that will determine how people adopt AI."
AI Observatory is a reference for anyone studying how people live with AI. Businesses can follow how consumers adopt, trust, and feel about AI and AI brands. Policymakers and civic organizations can look beyond headline sentiment to everyday experience. Journalists and researchers have a regularly updated, citable source on the social, demographic, and cultural effects of AI. The program focuses on understanding people and society, not on advocating for or against AI.
Explore the data on the AI Observatory website and follow recurring updates on NRG's AI Substack.
About National Research Group
National Research Group, Inc. (NRG) is a market research agency that works across the entertainment and technology industries. To learn more, visit www.nrgmr.com.
Media Contact
Don Halcombe
On behalf of NRG
[email protected]
SOURCE: Stagwell