Russians are not yet used to paying for AI: 13% maintain a recurring subscription

Only one in three has ever paid for AI, usually as a one-off: 17% paid for a specific task, while 13% took out a subscription. MTS AdTech and the AI Alliance surveyed 2500 Russians over 18 in September 2026.

They use it seriously. 56% of respondents use AI tools regularly, while 44% tried them a few times out of curiosity. Among people aged 18–25, 79% use them regularly; by the 45–55 age group, the share falls to 42%.

Domestic tools are losing share. In 2024, 77% of respondents preferred Russian AI tools; by March 2026, that figure had fallen to 52%. Foreign tools grew from 23% to 48% over the same two years.

Now 30% keep both Russian and foreign services at hand. 23% use only domestic tools, and 17% only foreign ones.

AI is most often used to find information: 67% gave that answer. 40% use it to write texts, 39% to create images, design, and video, and 19% to translate and learn languages.

The format is almost always text-based. 54% choose chatbots, 20% visual AI tools, and 14% AI assistants for assignments.

Over the year, 52% of Russians have become more positive toward AI, while 2% reported the opposite shift. Nadezhda Morozova, Product Director at the AI Alliance, sees free services as the entry point for mass-market users.

The next MTS AdTech survey will show whether the share of foreign AI tools rises above half.