Today, many purchasing decisions no longer start on Google.
They start with a question to an AI.
When users ask which brand to choose, which company is more reliable, or which product or service is the best option, AI doesn’t return endless lists of links. It answers. It summarizes, compares, and recommends — before any click happens.
What makes this shift truly significant is not just the technology itself, but the speed at which users are adopting it. The data shows rapid, large-scale adoption and growing trust in AI as a decision-making assistant. And that is precisely why, when AI decides before the click, brand reputation is no longer shaped only in search results, but in how AI understands and talks about your brand.
1. Scale and adoption of AI assistants
Global usage
- ChatGPT exceeds 700 million weekly active users
(reported by OpenAI, 2025) - More than 2.5 billion prompts are sent to ChatGPT every day
(approximately 330 million from the United States) - The free version accounts for the majority of usage, indicating mass adoption beyond purely professional or enterprise use.
Web traffic
- chatgpt.com is the 4th most visited website globally
- Approximately 5.6 billion monthly visits
- Average session duration: 12 minutes 41 seconds
- Bounce rate: ~39%
(Sources: aggregated web analytics data, 2025)
2. AI as a functional replacement for search engines
Shift in user behavior
According to consumer research:
- 56% of users describe AI as their primary source of information, functionally equivalent to a search engine.
- 58% of consumers have already replaced traditional search engines with generative AI for product and service recommendations
(up from 25% in 2023).
Source: Capgemini Research Institute, 2025
3. Direct influence on purchasing decisions
Recommendations and conversion
- 53% of consumers have already made a purchase based on AI recommendations
- 64% are willing to buy products recommended by AI
- 71% want AI to be integrated into their shopping experiences
- 92% say AI improves their overall shopping experience
- 87% trust AI for complex or higher-value purchases
Source: Capgemini Research Institute + sector surveys (2024–2025)
4. Traffic generated by AI to brands and commerce
Growth of the AI channel
Digital analytics data shows that traffic from AI tools to ecommerce and service websites has grown dramatically:
- +1,300% during the 2024 holiday shopping season
- +1,200% in February 2025 compared to July 2024
- The channel’s growth rate is doubling approximately every two months
Source: Adobe Inc. Analytics, 2025
5. Quality of AI-generated traffic
Compared to other digital channels, traffic coming from AI shows:
- +8% longer time spent on site
- +12% more pages per visit
- –23% lower bounce rate
However:
- Direct conversion is still ~9% lower than other channels
- This gap has narrowed significantly (down from –43% just months earlier)
Conclusion:
AI is primarily used during research and decision-making phases, not only for impulsive purchases.
Source: Adobe Analytics
6. AI as a primary information channel
Stated user preference
According to strategic research:
- 44% of AI search users consider AI their main source of information, outperforming:
- Traditional search engines (31%)
- Brand websites (9%)
- Review sites (6%)
Source: McKinsey & Company, AI Discovery Survey 2025
7. Expected impact on traffic and revenue
Medium-term projections
- Between 20% and 50% of traditional search traffic is at risk
if brands fail to adapt to AI-driven search and recommendations. - By 2028:
- Approximately $750 billion in revenue could flow through AI-powered search and recommendation experiences.
Source: McKinsey, 2025
