Even in other parts of America, people do not necessarily know how to use AI tools with very high fluency.

The claim is hedged: people do not *necessarily* know how to use AI tools with very high fluency, including outside the places usually linked with tech. True if survey or research data from around mid-2026 shows that a substantial share of Americans (for example, in regions outside major tech hubs) report little or no use of AI tools, or report low skill or confidence with them. Mostly true if that evidence holds in general but is thin or comes only from national data rather than regional data. Mixed if the data is evenly split or unclear. Mostly false if the evidence shows most Americans, including those outside tech hubs, already use AI tools often and confidently, so the claim overstates the gap. False if credible data shows that high AI fluency is near-universal across America.

Set before the research began.

1. E1 Americans and AI 2026: Chatbots, Smart Devices and Views on Impact Pew Research Center · 17 June 2026

   “Another quarter report using chatbots several times a week or less, and about half of adults do not use chatbots at all.”

2. E2 How opinions and use of AI differ by age Pew Research Center · 17 June 2026

   “What’s more, far fewer older adults are confident in using chatbots. Still, no age group is overwhelmingly confident in using these tools.”

3. E3 Why don’t people use chatbots? Pew Research Center · 17 June 2026

   “Less than a third point to not knowing how to use chatbots as a major reason why they don’t use it.”

4. E4 Americans and AI 2026: Chatbots, Smart Devices and Views on Impact Pew Research Center · 17 June 2026

   “About half of U.S. adults now report using AI chatbots, up substantially from the summer of 2024.”

Pew's June 2026 survey finds that about half of U.S. adults do not use AI chatbots at all (E1, E4). It also finds that no age group is overwhelmingly confident in using these tools (E2). That supports the hedged claim that people do not necessarily use AI with high fluency. The data is national, though, with no regional breakdown for areas outside tech hubs, so under the criteria the verdict is mostly true rather than true.