Disinformation on the rise in AI-enthusiastic Switzerland
In 2025, more than two out of five people used artificial intelligence (AI) to create content such as text or images. Among 15- to 24-year-olds, the figure was as high as four out of five. At the same time, people are increasingly confronted with disinformation, hate speech, and fraud online. These are the key findings of the latest survey by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) on internet use in Swiss households.
In spring 2025, 43% of the population aged between 15 and 88 stated that they had already used a generative AI system. This creates text, image or sound content based on an instruction.
Generative AI tools are spreading rapidly
3.2 million people in Switzerland used generative AI in the three months prior to the survey - and many of them used the corresponding tools very frequently: 36% of the people who used AI used it daily, 34% did so at least once a week. In view of the fact that AI systems have only been available to the general public for three years, the number of users and the frequency of use appear all the higher.
The systems are most frequently used for private purposes (38% of the population), followed by professional purposes (31%). A usage rate of 75% is achieved within the formal education system (e.g. schools and universities).
AI highlights the digital divide
The use of generative AI tools varies greatly depending on the socio-demographic profile. The existing inequalities in the general use of digital technologies are even more pronounced with this new technology.
Young people in particular make use of generative AI: 79% of 15 to 24-year-olds use such tools, compared to just 66% of 25 to 34-year-olds. This proportion decreases further with increasing age (55 to 64-year-olds: 28%). There are also clear differences in terms of educational level. 63% of people with a university degree use generative AI, compared to 17% of people with no post-compulsory education. Although men use generative AI more frequently than women overall, there are no gender-specific differences in the age groups under 30.
Half of the population does not use generative AI
Even though generative AI is spreading rapidly, it is not yet being used across the board. A third of the population do not see any benefit for themselves in the corresponding applications and 7% have data protection and security concerns. Only 7% state that they lack the necessary skills, which shows that the majority of the population believes that AI systems are relatively easy to use. Only 2% of the population state that they are not aware of the existence of such tools.
Increasingly problematic content and security issues
The results show another important aspect: between 2023 and 2025, security problems, disinformation and hate speech on the internet increased significantly. This development illustrates the increasing spread of problematic online content and the rise in risks and dangers when using the internet.
The proportion of people who received fraudulent messages (phishing) in the three months prior to the survey rose from 51% to 61% (4.4 million people). The increase in this type of online fraud is also reflected in the proportion of users who stated that they had suffered financial losses in the twelve months prior to the survey. In 2021, this proportion was 1.7% and doubled to 3.4% (250,000 people) by 2025.
Disinformation on the rise
Disinformation is also on the rise. The upward trend already observed between 2021 and 2023 is confirmed: in 2025, 58% of the population stated that they had encountered content on websites or social media that they considered to be false or questionable (2021: 45%; 2023: 51%). Young people under the age of 30 and social media users are particularly frequently exposed to disinformation (68% and 67% respectively).
The handling of false information remains essentially unchanged: Around half of users check the veracity of the content they encounter. The majority of those who do not do this (38%) believe that they already know that it is false information or an unreliable source. 15%, on the other hand, admit that they do not have the necessary knowledge or skills to check the content.
Hate speech on the rise
More and more internet users are being confronted with hate messages. In 2025, 42% of the population stated that they had seen hostile or derogatory messages directed at groups or individuals on social media or information sites. This represents an increase of 4.5 percentage points. Once again, those under 30 and social media users reported such content most frequently (61% and 50% respectively).
There has been a particularly sharp increase in hate messages relating to political or social opinions and religion, as well as xenophobic content. Hate messages relating to sexual orientation or disability occur about as frequently as in 2023.
This press release and further information on the topic can be found on the FSO website.
