Gen Z Are the Most Skeptical of AI-Powered Travel Planning, New Data Shows

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Sept. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As artificial intelligence (AI) adoption continues to grow rapidly, new survey data from leading travel insurance marketplace Squaremouth reveals four surprising trends when it comes to AI and travel planning.

1. AI Usage For Trip Planning Has Doubled Year Over Year
In 2025, the share of travelers who said they never used AI for trip planning dropped from 63.1% last year to 27.6% this year. Meanwhile, 18.7% now say they use AI to help plan every trip they take.

2. Gen Z Travelers Emerge as the Most AI-Skeptical Generation
Despite being the generation most closely associated with AI adoption, Gen Z are the least convinced it belongs in their travel experience. Only 38.0% of Gen Z respondents strongly agreed that AI is integral to how they travel, compared with 55.7% of Gen X, 52.7% of Millennials, and 45.5% of Boomers.

This isn't just lukewarm interest. Gen Z also expressed the strongest skepticism, with 31.0% strongly disagreeing that AI is integral to their travel experience, compared to 24.6% of Millennials, 21.2% of Boomers, and 18.4% of Gen X respondents.

3. Trust In AI Remains Low, Despite High Adoption
Although AI usage is increasing, only 16.7% of travelers have high or complete trust in AI. This includes using AI for tasks such as entering payment information or buying tickets. That said, 36.5% of travelers express "average trust," a sentiment consistent across generations.

4. Travelers Want AI to Explain, Not Make Decisions
Overall, when asked how they would like to see AI used by travel insurance companies, like Squaremouth, results across generations were as follows:

• 71.2% want AI to provide plain-English summaries of what each plan covers.
• 51.9% desire side-by-side comparisons of different plans.
• 50.7% want a chat feature that answers questions like, "Does this cover X?"

"AI usage for travel planning continues to grow; however, just because travelers use it doesn't necessarily mean they trust it," explains Jacquelline Mondelli, Chief Marketing Officer at Squaremouth. "Travelers still want to be the ones making important decisions, so they're more interested in AI when it's helping them better understand their options rather than deciding for them."

For more insights and commentary on how AI is reshaping the way travelers plan their trips, connect with our team.

About Squaremouth
For over 20 years, Squaremouth has helped more than 4.4 million travelers quote, compare, and purchase travel insurance online. Renowned for award-winning customer service, transparency, and an unbiased approach, Squaremouth has led travel insurance comparison since 2003. As America's largest travel insurance marketplace, Squaremouth.com features more providers and plans than any other platform.

Contact
Lauren McCormick
Manager of Public Relations
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SOURCE Squaremouth