Meta AI identified as leading consumer of mobile data

A study by eSIM provider Maaltalk has identified the primary drivers of mobile data consumption, revealing that generative AI tools are significantly more data-intensive than traditional streaming services. In tests of 95 popular apps, Meta AI was found to be the largest consumer, using 442 MB of data in just five minutes of use. This consumption rate is nearly three times higher than Disney+ and approximately nine times the combined total of other major AI assistants like Gemini, Claude, Grok, and ChatGPT.

Among entertainment platforms, Disney+ was identified as the most data-heavy streaming service, consuming 150 MB during the same five-minute test period.

Regarding daily commuting habits, data analysis suggests that many drivers may be overpaying for high-capacity mobile plans. While providers often market plans exceeding 100 GB, typical commuting activities—such as GPS navigation and music streaming—consume far less. For an average motorist driving 40 hours per month, total data usage for navigation and audio entertainment generally stays below the 20 GB threshold, with high-quality music streaming accounting for roughly 6 GB of that total.