AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini are now an integral part of how consumers research products.
Shoppers use them to compare options, evaluate trade-offs, and clarify decisions during the buying process.
But how much influence do these tools truly have? And where do they fit alongside traditional search engines?
To answer that, we surveyed over 1,000 U.S. consumers with experience using AI to understand how they use it for product research. Here’s what we found.
Methodology
To quantify the impact of AI on product discovery and commerce, we surveyed 1,030 U.S. shoppers who have tried AI tools. The survey was conducted in December 2025 across the following demographics:
- Age: Respondents were relatively evenly distributed across the 18–34 (27.6%), 35–54 (34.7%), and 55+ (37.7%) age brackets.
- Income: Respondents spanned all household income levels, from under $25,000 annually (12.8%) to over $200,000 (5.1%). The largest segment earns between $100,000 and $149,999 (22.2%).
- Education: Half of the respondents (50%) hold a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree.
Key Takeaways:
- 48% of U.S. consumers who have tried AI use it daily, and 85% use it at least weekly. 55% also leverage AI specifically for product research at least weekly. AI visibility is no longer optional for brands.
- 77% of respondents use AI and traditional search together. AI has not replaced search—it has just made the journey less linear.
- 43% of respondents have discovered a new brand through AI. However, ranking as the first brand mentioned in an AI response barely moves the needle—only 20% say a brand stands out because it appears earlier in the answer. What matters is how clearly and relevantly a brand is described.
- 50% of respondents have made a purchase after using AI during research, across every category and price point.
- 69% expect AI to play a bigger role in how they shop in the future. The shift is not slowing down.
Let’s dive deeper into those insights.
1. AI Is Now Part of How Consumers Shop, At Every Stage
For many respondents, AI has already become part of everyday behavior. 85% use it at least weekly, 48% engage daily, and 25% use it multiple times per day.
For brands, this means AI visibility deserves special attention as a discovery channel — because their audience is already there.
Note: 25% of respondents reported not using AI tools at all and were excluded from the analysis below.
While there are a lot of AI platforms, consumer AI usage is concentrated around a few dominant platforms. This suggests that brands can focus their efforts strategically and don’t need to spread themselves too thin:
- ChatGPT leads with 64% of users using it monthly, followed by Gemini at 49%
- Usage of Google's AI Mode (28%) and AI Overviews (22%) suggests that many consumers are using AI within traditional search rather than switching tools
- Meta AI reaches 39% monthly through Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp
- Grok (12%), Perplexity (9%), and Claude (8%) trail significantly among general consumers, though they may index higher among professional audiences
What consumers leverage AI for is equally broad. 58% use it to look up information or get explanations, 46% to learn about a topic, 38% specifically for product research, and 30% to compare options side by side.
For brands, this means there are opportunities to appear in AI responses across the entire buyer journey—from when they start to explore a topic to the moment they decide between brands.
2. Consumers Rely on AI to Research, Compare, and Evaluate Products
That last point shows AI is not just being used at the top of the funnel—U.S. consumers are employing it across every stage of the purchase decision:
- 57% of our respondents use AI to narrow down their choices
- 51% use it during early discovery
- 53% compare products they are already considering
- 50% use it to make a final decision, with 55% doing this at least weekly, and 25% daily.
In addition, 55% use AI to research products at least weekly—25% of whom do so daily.
When using AI in these ways, the queries consumers run are more targeted than a typical search:
- 52% specify constraints upfront—a budget, a required feature, a compatibility need, or a specific use case
- 33% go back and forth with the AI, refining their question multiple times
- Only 43% start with a broad query before narrowing down
This level of specificity means that a clear and precise product description can directly affect whether AI surfaces it in its answers to consumers.
When it comes to making a purchase, however, AI acts as a filter rather than a closer:
- 47% of respondents use AI to narrow down their options, but then turn to Google for reviews or pricing
- 40% use AI to research or compare options, but complete the purchase elsewhere
- 39% ask AI for recommendations, and then shop on marketplaces like Amazon
- Only 20% say they use AI throughout the entire process, from research to final decision
What this suggests is that AI determines which brands make the shortlist, but other channels still matter for purchase decisions.
3. AI and Google Search Are Not Competing—Consumers Use Both
Despite what many assume, AI has not replaced traditional search. Rather, it complements it:
- 77% of our respondents use AI and search engines together, and only 4% rely mostly on AI
- Search engines like Google remain the more common starting point at 33%, with AI close behind at 26%
- 18% switch between both throughout the research process
In other words, consumers are using both channels for the same purchase decision.
This means brands need content that both ranks well on Google and surfaces in AI responses.
What’s more, AI answers are not the end point for consumers’ exploration: 94% of users click links in AI responses at least sometimes, with 38% saying they do so often or almost always. Only 3% say they never click.
For brands, this indicates that AI citations can be a powerful source of high-intent traffic.
In fact, we found that AI summaries often accelerate consumer research without replacing website visits:
- 87% of respondents say AI summaries help them understand brands faster
- 68% visit brand websites just as often or more than before, with 22% more likely to visit brand sites after an AI interaction
- Only 11% say they are much less likely to visit a website after using AI
In other words, AI is compressing the early stages of research, not eliminating what comes after.
4. AI Is Changing How Consumers Discover and Evaluate Brands
A mention in an AI response is not just passive exposure—it drives immediate action for consumers.
When an AI tool mentions a brand or product, 40% of respondents search Google for more information, 36% use Google to compare it with alternatives, 34% ask the AI follow-up questions, and 28% go directly to the brand's website.
Only 8% ignore the mention unless they already know the brand. For brands not currently appearing in AI responses, this is the pipeline they are missing.
In other words, being discovered through AI is already a benefit for brands: 43% of respondents report having found a new brand through an AI tool, while 47% report noticing AI-mentioned brands often or very often.
For brands that do appear in AI responses, the position of the mention matters less than the actual content. Only 20% say a brand stands out because it appears higher or earlier in the answer.
What actually influences their attention is clarity about the brand:
- 43% say a clearer or more detailed explanation makes a brand stand out
- 39% take note of the price or value context
- 37% are influenced by descriptions that are a good fit for their specific needs
- 28% are influenced by direct comparisons between options
The implication for brands is that a specific and high-quality description in AI responses—incorporating their own content, reviews, and third-party coverage—matters more than where they are mentioned in the response.
5. Consumers Trust AI Recommendations, But Verify Before Buying
Consumers trust AI enough to start their research with it, but not enough to skip verification before making a purchase decision.
75% of respondents rate their trust in AI recommendations at 3 or 4 out of 5. Only 20% trust AI completely, and only 7% express low trust.
That conditional trust translates into consistent verification behavior, where consumers will double-check AI’s recommendations elsewhere before buying.
In fact, 86% of respondents say they verify AI brand recommendations at least sometimes, including 20% who always do so.
Google is the primary validation channel at 68%, followed by brand websites at 48%. Review sites (35%), YouTube (35%), friends or family (33%), and social media (30%) also play significant roles.
For brands, this means that being mentioned in AI is just the start of the buyer’s journey. Your presence on Google, your website, and third-party review platforms all need to hold up once a consumer goes looking.
6. AI Already Influences Real Purchases Across Every Category
AI is already generating conversions for brands, and not just low-stakes purchases. It is driving real purchases across every category and price point.
50% of consumers have made a purchase after using AI during research, while 22% have completed a purchase directly inside an AI tool.
And while that native AI commerce is not yet dominant, it is real and growing.
Consumers are using AI for everyday and high-consideration purchases alike:
- 39% say AI has influenced a retail or consumer goods purchase
- Leisure and lifestyle purchases, such as food (29%), wellness (29%), and electronics (27%) are among the most common categories
- Higher-consideration products and services such as travel (21%), education (16%), home services (15%), and financial services (13%) are less common, but still show significant AI influence
In terms of the value and impact of their purchases, 37% of U.S. consumers also rely on AI most for mid-range purchases like electronics and subscriptions, 28% use it for high-cost or high-risk decisions, and 36% say they use AI equally across all purchase types.
No category is insulated from AI influence at this point.
And here’s what matters the most: this behavioral shift is not slowing down.
69% of respondents expect AI to play a bigger or much bigger role in how they shop in the future. Only 3% expect it to shrink.
At the same time, 46% anticipate relying less on traditional search engines as AI improves, and 42% less on social media. Review sites (34%), influencers (33%), ads (30%), and blogs (28%) are also expected to lose ground.
For brands still treating AI visibility as optional, that window is closing. It’s becoming an imperative.
Future-Proof Your Brand for Modern Search Discovery
Consumers are using AI right throughout the whole buying process: to learn, to compare and narrow their options, and to validate their decisions.
While they still turn to search engines and brand websites, AI is increasingly shaping which brands they consider in the first place.
What this means for you and your brand is that both AI visibility and traditional search visibility are crucial for succeeding.
Semrush One can help you track and optimize your brand’s performance across all search surfaces. It shows how your business appears in AI responses, helps you track competitor moves, and reveals how Google and LLMs position your brand.
