VTB: every second Russian wants to have a personal AI agent

      Almost half of Russians are ready to have a personal AI agent – a digital assistant based on artificial intelligence (AI) that knows their daily routine, analyzes data, and helps make decisions. These are the results of a survey conducted by VTB bank ahead of the "Digital Industry of Industrial Russia" (CIPR) conference. 46% of respondents would like to have a personal AI assistant in one form or another. 29% of Russians are uncertain about this issue, while 25% have a negative attitude towards the idea. The majority of respondents – 87% – have already heard about such technologies, and 66% find the idea of a personal AI agent understandable or completely understandable.

      The digital assistant is perceived as a tool for productivity rather than entertainment. Survey participants primarily want to use personal AI agents to assist with work tasks, learning and skill development, day planning, automating household tasks such as shopping, habit tracking, and health recommendations.

      Creating personal AI agents requires sharing a large amount of information about personal life and work. Mainly, Russians are willing to provide the AI agent access to their search history and online activity (43%), geolocation (42%), medical data (33%), biography (27%), financial information (26%), personal photo and video archives (19%), and personal correspondence (15%). 27% of Russians are completely unwilling to share any information about themselves. 41% of respondents are ready to regularly update this information.

      Opinions on the creation of AI agents are evenly divided: 39% would prefer to build an agent themselves based on available large language models, while another 39% would choose ready-made solutions from technology companies. 21% of Russians consider using personal AI agents through banks or financial organizations that have experience in creating smart chatbots. 76% of respondents would view such a service from a bank with interest or at least do not reject the idea.

      The main concern of Russians regarding the use of AI agents is the likelihood of data leaks, noted by 72% of survey participants. Another 54% fear AI errors, 41% cited loss of control over decisions as their fear, and 31% chose dependence on technology.

      "There is already a demand for personal AI agents in Russia, and now the market must respond and offer quality solutions. Personal digital assistants could become as normal in the coming years as smartphones once did. Users who master the technology now will gain a significant advantage in the future. The sooner you start, the more accurate and useful the digital assistant will be," believes Vadim Kulik, Deputy President – Chairman of the Management Board of VTB.

      The VTB survey was conducted in April 2026. It involved 1,500 respondents aged 18-65 living in cities with populations over 100,000. Press service of PJSC VTB Bank.