Consumers are putting more trust in AI searches
A new survey of over 2,000 consumers across the US, UK, France and Germany looks at how people are adopting, and trusting, AI tools to discover, evaluate, and choose brands.
The study from Yext finds that 62 percent of consumers now trust AI to guide their brand decisions, putting it on par with traditional search methods used during key decision moments. However, 57 percent still prefer traditional search engines when researching personal, medical or financial topics.
Using AI search is now everyday behavior for nearly half of consumers, 43 percent use AI search tools like ChatGPT or Gemini daily or more often, reflecting the growing integration of AI into routine online behavior. 75 percent also report using new search tools more today than they did a year ago.
Interestingly though just 10 percent of users trust the first result. nearly half (48 percent) cross-check answers across platforms, highlighting the need for consistent brand information everywhere.
There are differences between generations in how searches are used too. Gen Z are the most likely generation to use AI for brainstorming (48 percent) and how-to guidance (48 percent), and nearly half say they use social media (45 percent) and search engines (42 percent) to spark ideas.
Millennials lead in cross-platform searches with 55 percent favoring AI for quick, clear insights over traditional search. They also use social media heavily for general knowledge (56 percent) and frequently rely on search engines (69 percent) for product and service details.
While 70 percent of still use traditional search engines for general knowledge, 44 percent prefer AI for in-depth explanations and 39 percent for content summaries. A majority of Boomers (80 percent) use search engines for general knowledge and 68 percent for navigation. However, 26 percent of Boomers surveyed do not use AI tools at all for common tasks.
“AI search tools are no longer experimental,” says Mark Kabana, VP of data innovation at Yext. “They’ve earned trust by consumers across a wide range of use cases, especially brand discovery, where accuracy and clarity matter. Consumers are using these tools to make real decisions. If your data isn’t structured, consistent, and optimized for how modern platforms interpret it, your brand risks becoming invisible to entire segments of your audience.”
You can get the full report on the Yext site.
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