What Consumers Really Think About AI Search — 7 Biggest Takeaways

Artificial intelligence is increasingly reshaping the way consumers search and shop online, with the adoption of AI-powered search tools growing at a steady pace. To better understand how Americans are engaging with AI-driven search across their shopping journey, adMarketplace surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults with a census-balanced sample by age and gender. 

The seven major survey findings below highlight key trends and consumer insights that advertisers and publishers should consider as AI becomes increasingly infused into native search experiences and results, offering more relevant, engaging, and personalized results.

1. AI in Search: Adoption on the Rise, Enhancing Native Search Experiences

Forty-five percent of Americans report using AI-powered search (including AI-driven results and chat-based search engines) to look for information online. That number outpaces the 27% of people who say they haven’t used AI-powered search tools, indicating that interest in and adoption of AI in search is being more positively received by consumers overall.

With AI-powered search gaining notable traction, roughly 1 in 5 consumers (17%) already rely more on these tools than traditional search methods. This highlights the value and utility AI search provides, including seamless native search navigation on the apps, sites, and platforms consumers are actively using and more personalized experiences.

2. Relevancy and Convenience Are the Biggest Factors Driving the Adoption of AI Search Techniques

When it comes to the factors that would make consumers more likely to engage with AI-driven search while shopping, a quarter of respondents pointed to two main reasons:

1. More accurate and relevant search results
2. Ease of use and convenience

Overall, here’s what consumers desire most out of AI-driven search experiences when shopping online:

AI’s ability to power native search environments within publisher sites and shopping apps is key to delivering these benefits. Brands and publishers that leverage AI to create more native search experiences can enhance ad relevancy, improve user experience, and provide consumers with more personalized results tailored to their expressed intent.

3. Majority of Consumers Have Engaged with AI-generated Prompts and Results

More than two-thirds of Americans (69%) say they have interacted with AI-generated prompts and results when searching for products online. Over half of these respondents (53%) say they fall between somewhat likely and very likely to interact with AI-generated results and prompts in their search.

This is the most significant entry point into AI for consumers across our survey’s findings. It’s clear that a vast majority of Americans find value in AI-generated prompts and results when searching, further highlighting how consumers are relying much less on legacy search engines and are engaging with native search experiences to help them find the information, brands, and products they seek online.

4. Personalization Is the Most Valuable AI Feature for Consumers

When it comes to AI-powered search features, personalization stands out as the most desirable. More than a quarter (27%) of consumers said personalized results based on their inputs are the most important and valuable of all AI-driven features.

Overall, here are the AI-driven features consumers find most useful when searching for products or services online:

Native search enriched with AI personalization can create more engaging, intuitive shopping experiences that anticipate and meet consumer needs and preferences, delivering relevant results that match their expressed intent.

5. AI Is Becoming a Personal Shopper for More Americans

Roughly half of Americans (47%) say they have used AI tools and platforms as part of their online shopping journey. Of those, a quarter say they use this technology frequently when shopping online. 

These findings reflect results from a recent Adobe study on how generative AI is impacting online retail transactions. Adobe reports that traffic from generative AI sources to retail sites increased by a staggering 1,200% between July 2024 and February 2025. 

Still, the report notes that generative AI traffic remains modest compared to other channels like paid search. This too mirrors our findings, as the largest gap between users and non-users in our survey resulted from whether consumers have used AI tools as part of their online shopping journey: 47% vs. 40% respectively.

6. Younger Men Are the Biggest Champions of AI Search

Looking demographically, a clear pattern emerged across all of our survey responses. Younger generations (Millennials and Gen Z) were more likely to try or rely on AI-driven search tools than older generations (Gen X and Baby Boomers) — an unsurprising finding given the technology’s nascency. 

Men in particular were also more likely than women to explore and leverage AI as part of their search and shopping habits, in some cases by a 10-point difference. Here are the biggest discrepancies among the AI gender divide:

• Men (30%) are more likely than women (20%) to interact with AI-generated prompts and results
• Men (30%) are more likely than women (21%) to cite convenience and ease of use as the feature more likely to cause them to use AI-driven search tools
• Men (20%) are more likely than women (14%) to rely more on AI-powered search engines

7. 1 out of 5 Americans Say “No Thank You” to AI in Search

Across the board, around 20% of Americans expressed no current interest in using AI in their search and shopping experiences. This indicates there’s still work to be done in establishing trust and credibility for this technology among a sizable portion of the population — or at the very least better convey its value and utility.

Below is a breakdown that captures the resistance toward AI of this core group of consumers across our survey:

The Future of AI in Search: What’s Next?

As AI continues to evolve, consumer adoption is growing—but at different rates across demographics. Younger generations and men are embracing AI-powered search and shopping experiences, while older consumers and women appear more hesitant.

For advertisers and publishers, the opportunity lies in striking the right balance: integrating AI natively into their search experiences while demonstrating how AI can deliver more relevant and engaging search results when leveraging consumer intent signals.

To learn more about how consumer search habits are changing beyond AI’s impact, download our free 2025 State of Search report.