[New Report] The State of Generative AI Use in Canada 2025: Exploring Public Attitudes and Adoption Trends

By
Social Media Lab
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TORONTO — April 2025 — A majority of Canadians (66%) have experimented with Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools less than three years after ChatGPT’s public debut, according to a new report released today by the Social Media Lab at the Ted Rogers School of Management, Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU).

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The State of Generative AI Use in Canada 2025, authored by Dr. Anatoliy Gruzd, Philip Mai, and Anthony Clements Haines of Toronto Metropolitan University, draws on a census‑balanced survey of 1,500 adults conducted between February 19 and March 1, 2025. The report charts the nation’s rapid adoption of text‑, image‑, audio‑ and video‑generation technologies while spotlighting growing public unease around ethics, privacy, and job security.

“The speed at which Canadians have adopted large language models is unprecedented,” said Dr. Anatoliy Gruzd, Canada Research Chair and Co‑Director of the Social Media Lab. “Yet our data show that excitement is tempered by serious concerns about how personal data are collected and used, and whether these tools will erode critical thinking skills and replace jobs in Canada.”

Key Findings

  • Adoption—but mostly casual: Two‑thirds of Canadians (66%) have tried a GenAI tool, yet only about 30% use them daily or weekly for leisure, work, or study. Leisure remains the primary entry point, especially for older adults, while younger Canadians lead usage for study and work.
  • Knowledge & skills gap: Only 38% feel confident they can use GenAI effectively or keep up with new developments. On a seven‑item quiz, respondents averaged just 2.5 correct answers, and 51% admit they have little to no understanding of how AI companies handle their data.
  • AI in the newsroom: A majority believe news outlets already rely on GenAI for editing (57%), translation (56%) and data analysis (51%); 43% think AI writes entire articles. Comfort with AI‑generated content is highest for lifestyle and entertainment topics and lowest for politics, crime, and international affairs.
  • Election anxiety: Two‑thirds (67%) worry GenAI could sway election outcomes, and 59% say they no longer fully trust political news online because of possible AI manipulation. More than half (54%) are unlikely to use chatbots for election information, though openness is higher among right‑leaning Canadians (34%) than left‑leaning ones (23%).
  • Mixed outlook, strong oversight demand: Canadians are split on GenAI’s net societal impact (39% positive, 34% negative, 27% neutral), but unite around key concerns—security and privacy (72%), reliability of information (68%), job displacement (68%), and effects on higher education (68%). An overwhelming majority back regulation: 78% want companies held liable for harms caused by AI tools, with 77% supporting rules for current AI capabilities and 76% for future ones.

“Canadians recognize the transformative potential of Generative AI, but they want guardrails,” added Philip Mai, Senior Researcher and Co‑Director of the Lab. “Our findings underscore the urgency for policymakers, educators, and businesses to collaborate on responsible adoption strategies.”

Recommendations

The report highlights actionable guidance, including:

  • Policy: Enact transparent data‑handling standards and mandatory risk assessments for high-impact deployments of GenAI tools.
  • Education: Integrate GenAI literacy into K‑12 and post‑secondary curricula to bolster critical thinking and technical skills.
  • Industry: Develop clear disclosure practices so users understand when and how GenAI is involved in content creation.

About the Social Media Lab

The Social Media Lab is an interdisciplinary research center at the Ted Rogers School of Management at Toronto Metropolitan University. It studies how social media and other digital technologies are transforming how people and organizations communicate, share information, conduct business, and form communities, as well as the impact these changes have on society. The Lab’s overarching goal is to deepen public understanding of both the benefits and potential drawbacks of technology adoption.

Suggested Citation:  Gruzd, Anatoliy; Mai, Philip; Clements Haines, Anthony (2025). The State of Generative AI Use in Canada 2025: Exploring Public Attitudes and Adoption Trends. Social Media Lab, Toronto Metropolitan University. DOI: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.28664780 

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