Artificial intelligence is beginning to change the ways consumers find and trust information. A striking finding from the 2025 Consumer Adoption of AI Report reveals that nearly 41% of consumers trust generative AI search results more than paid search results, while only 15% trust AI less than search ads.
The study is based on two multi-market surveys of 5,000 consumers aged 18-67 residing in the U.S., U.K., Canada and Australia.
This shift in consumer trust represents a major change for digital marketers who rely on paid search as a major part of their customer acquisition and sales strategy.
How Is AI Search Different?
Large-language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot offer new ways for consumers to research products and services. Unlike traditional search engines that return a list of links, these AI tools provide conversational, natural language responses synthesized from multiple sources.
According to the report, 43% of consumers would trust information given by an AI chatbot or tool, up from 40% just last year. Among those who already use gen-AI tools, that figure jumps to an impressive 68%, with 14% saying they trust AI-provided information “completely.”
For marketers, this trend creates both opportunities and challenges. Being mentioned organically by an AI tool appears to create a halo effect for brands—a kind of digital earned media that carries more credibility than paid placement.
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AI Search Has a Demographic Divide
Not all consumers view AI with equal enthusiasm. The report highlights significant differences across demographics:
- Men are more likely to trust AI search results (44%) compared with women (37%)
- Younger consumers aged 18-30 show higher trust in AI search (44%) than those 50+ (37%)
- American and British consumers demonstrate greater faith in AI search (43%) compared with Australians and Canadians (36%)
These disparities suggest that brands targeting younger, male-dominated markets may need to adapt their digital strategies more quickly than those focused on older audiences.
New Patterns of Search Behavior
While traditional search engines aren’t going away, consumer behavior is evolving rapidly. The report found that 27% of consumers now use gen AI for at least half of their internet searches. Among Gen Z and younger millennials, the adoption rate is even more striking—37% of Britishers under 40 use AI for at least half of their searches.
With traditional search, brands could rely on search engine optimization and pay-per-click advertising to ensure visibility. In the AI search paradigm, being mentioned by the algorithm offers legitimacy that paid placement can’t match.
The Disruptive Power of AI Search
Right now, gen-AI search tools don’t offer pay-to-play opportunities, meaning brands cannot buy ads or pay to be mentioned. The democratization of search results based purely on relevance and helpfulness means brands need to focus on becoming genuinely useful sources of information. Or, they at least need to create content that AI models find relevant and helpful.
The rise of AI search could lead to the most significant disruption to digital marketing since the introduction of Google Ads.
For years, Google in particular has remained unchallenged as the dominant search engine, despite Microsoft’s and others’ spending billions to try to gain market share. This dominance is now under attack.
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How Should Marketers Respond to AI Search?
Brands that optimize their content for LLMs now will likely enjoy a significant advantage as this technology becomes mainstream.
- Optimize for AI, not just SEO: While traditional SEO remains important, developing clear, factual, and comprehensive content that answers specific questions will help ensure your brand gets mentioned in AI responses.
- Focus on trustworthiness and authority: The report shows consumers trust AI partly because they perceive it as less biased than human-curated information. Ensure your brand’s digital footprint emphasizes objective expertise.
- Segment strategies by demographic: Given the trust differences between age groups and genders, tailor your approach to match your target audience’s comfort level with AI.
- Embrace the change: The 60% of existing AI users who expect to increase their usage in the next six months signals a trend that will only accelerate. It’s time for the CMO and the CAIO (if there is one) to put their heads together.
What’s Next for AI Search?
As AI search tools continue to evolve, we may see new opportunities for brands to engage with these platforms ethically. For now, the best approach is to produce genuinely valuable content that serves as the raw material for AI-generated responses.
It’s also possible that the AI search tools will find ways to incorporate ads in a way that doesn’t reduce trust in their results. Currently, revenue and profit for the big AI companies haven’t caught up with their stratospheric valuations. Monetizing search via advertising could be one way to add a significant revenue stream.
With or without paid ads, the growth in AI search presents the most significant opportunity in a decade for challenger brands to gain ground against established players—if they can successfully navigate the new AI-driven search landscape.
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This article was written by Roger Dooley from Forbes and was legally licensed through the DiveMarketplace by Industry Dive. Please direct all licensing questions to [email protected].
