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    Research & Sources

    The Data Behind AI Search

    Every statistic we cite comes from published research. Here's the evidence showing how AI is transforming the way consumers discover businesses—and why most companies are being left behind.

    The Bottom Line

    Half of consumers now use AI for search. But 87% of businesses don't show up in AI results. Companies visible in AI answers see 23× higher conversion rates. The gap between consumer behavior and business readiness has never been wider.

    Consumer Behavior Shift

    50%

    of consumers now use AI-powered search tools like ChatGPT, Google AI, and Bing Copilot

    Source [1]

    800M

    users on ChatGPT alone, sending 18 billion messages per week

    Source [2]

    27%

    of people now use AI tools instead of traditional search engines in the U.S.

    Source [3]

    28%

    of Gen Z go to ChatGPT first for answers instead of Google

    Source [1]

    AI Impact on Search Behavior

    50%

    of Google searches now feature AI-generated summaries at the top of results

    Source [4]

    8%

    of users click an organic result when an AI summary is shown (vs 15% without AI)

    Source [4]

    Local Business Discovery

    ~33%

    of consumers have used AI to search for local businesses

    Source [5]

    40%

    of consumers actively use generative AI during their search experiences

    Source [5]

    36%

    of users have discovered a new product or brand through ChatGPT (nearly 50% for Gen Z)

    Source [1]

    Business Visibility Crisis

    87%

    of U.S. businesses are invisible in AI-generated search results

    Source [6]

    13%

    of businesses were ever mentioned even once by AI when answering queries

    Source [6]

    <20%

    of mid-market companies have complete, AI-readable structured data on their websites

    Source [6]

    Trust & Conversion

    30%

    of people trust ChatGPT's results more than traditional search engine results

    Source [1]

    23×

    higher conversion rate for AI-referred visitors compared to traditional organic traffic

    Source [8]

    15-25%

    lower organic traffic for companies that haven't optimized for AI search

    Source [7]

    Business Response Gap

    76%

    of marketers say it's essential for their brand to appear in AI chat answers

    Source [1]

    47%

    have started using tools like ChatGPT for marketing as of mid-2025

    Source [1]

    75.5%

    of businesses say their new priority is getting mentioned in AI answers, even without a direct link

    Source [9]

    Sources

    All statistics are from the 2025 research paper "How AI Assistants Are Changing Search and Business Discovery" and its cited sources.

    1

    ChatGPT as a Search Engine | Adobe

    www.adobe.com

    2

    How People Use ChatGPT | OpenAI

    cdn.openai.com

    3

    People switching to ChatGPT | TechRadar

    www.techradar.com

    4

    Do people click on links in Google AI summaries? | Pew Research

    www.pewresearch.org

    5

    Local SEO Statistics | JS Interactive

    js-interactive.com

    6

    RankOS™ Benchmark: 87% of U.S. Businesses Invisible in AI Search | GlobeNewswire

    www.globenewswire.com

    7

    The AI Search Revolution | Presence AI

    presenceai.app

    8

    AI Search vs Traditional Clicks: What 2025 Data Really Shows | Passionfruit

    www.getpassionfruit.com

    9

    90% of businesses fear losing SEO visibility | Search Engine Land

    searchengineland.com

    For Writers & Researchers

    Cite This Page

    Use this citation when referencing our statistics:

    GetFoundByChatGPT. "AI Search Statistics 2025." Accessed 19 February 2026. https://getfoundbychatgpt.com/stats

    Link to a Specific Stat

    Each statistic has a unique anchor link. Hover over any stat card and click the link icon to copy its URL.

    Popular citations:

    Open to use: You're welcome to cite these statistics with attribution. All data points link to their original sources for verification. If you're writing about AI search adoption or business visibility, feel free to reference this page.

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