AI has officially become the new “front door” for discovery — and only the brands cited or mentioned inside AI-generated answers are getting invited in.
At Brandi AI, we’ve been saying it for a while: AI is replacing Google for search, and discovery has shifted from search engines to generative engines. A new consumer study confirms just how real that shift has become.
The research, titled 2026 AI & Search Behavior Study and conducted by Eight Oh Two, an SEO and paid search marketing agency, surveyed 500 American consumers who actively use AI tools. Using a mix of multiple-choice, rating-scale, and open-ended questions, the survey examined how consumers use AI, how that behavior compares to traditional search, and how AI now influences brand discovery and purchase decisions. The data was collected in November 2025.
The headline insight is hard to ignore: 37% of consumers now begin their searches with AI tools instead of Google.
That finding signals a structural change in how people discover information online. Consumers aren’t starting with a results page full of blue links anymore. They’re starting with a synthesized answer, and increasingly trusting that answer as their first stop.
This isn’t “coming someday.” It’s already here.
And for brands, that means something fundamental has changed: AI is now the first-impression machine — and if your brand isn’t visible inside AI-generated answers, you’re disappearing from the consideration set before search even begins.
This is precisely why Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) matters, and why simply ranking in Google is no longer enough.
TL;DR:
- A new consumer survey confirms AI tools now initiate discovery, shifting brand visibility from Google rankings to inclusion inside AI-generated answers via Generative Engine Optimization (GEO).
- Platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity generate synthesized answers and shortlists, making AI the primary source of first brand impressions.
- GEO prioritizes being cited and clearly described in AI narratives, not competing for traditional search clicks.
- Brands excluded from AI-generated answers never enter evaluation, allowing cited competitors to define trust and category leadership.
- Authority, clarity, and machine-readable content determine which brands generative engines surface at the moment of discovery.
AI Is Now the Front Door — and Search Is the Fact-Checker
The survey confirms a new hybrid behavior pattern:
- AI provides the first answer.
- Traditional search confirms or validates it.
So AI isn’t replacing search. It is redefining where the journey begins and when the first brand impression is made.
According to the survey, consumers say they turn to AI because it’s faster, clearer, less cluttered, and easier to process
Traditional search frustrations are driving the switch. When using Google:
- 40% say they click through too many links
- 37% say there are too many ads
- 33% say it’s hard to get a straight answer
- 28% say search results feel repetitive or low-quality
At the same time:
- 60% say AI delivers better, clearer answers than search
- 80% believe AI provides unbiased information
- 85% still double-check AI answers elsewhere
So search hasn’t disappeared — but its role has shifted from “discovery” to “verification.”
And that means Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), also called Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) — optimizing content to be cited or mentioned inside AI-generated answers — is now the new front line of visibility.
AI Recommendations Create Shortlists — and Shortlists Create Winners
When someone asks AI a question like:
- “What are the best running shoes for arthritis sufferers?
- “What’s the best ERP for small businesses?”
- “What is the best red light therapy mask for aging skin?”
They don’t get 10 links anymore. They get a curated shortlist — usually 3–5 brands — often with narrative explanations.
And the survey reveals just how influential those shortlists already are:
- 47% say AI influences which brands they trust
- 57% use AI to find the best prices
- 54% use AI to compare products
- 48% use AI for AI-generated review summaries
- 47% use AI to help make purchase decisions
That is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) in action. The brands that AI cites and describes clearly become trusted options. Brands that aren’t cited or mentioned never enter the conversation. And unlike SEO, where you might still survive on page two, there is no page two in AI.
Consumers Expect AI to Become Their Primary Interface
This isn’t a temporary spike in usage — it’s a directional shift in behavior. The survey finds:
- 63% expect to use AI more in 2026
- 59% believe AI will become their main way of finding information
- Nearly half expect AI to soon complete full tasks end-to-end
And consumers want AI to keep improving in:
- Fact-checking
- Citations and mentions
- Accuracy
- Transparency
- Personalization
This aligns precisely with Brandi AI’s GEO framework: The future belongs to brands whose content is credible, structured, and machine-readable because generative engines elevate the sources they trust most.
Volume won’t win. Authority will win.
GEO: Competing Where Answers Are Made
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is simple at its core: You’re no longer optimizing for search rankings — you’re optimizing for inclusion inside AI-generated answers.
That means brands now need visibility into:
- Whether AI tools mention them
- How those tools describe them
- Where they don’t appear
- How often competitors are cited or mentioned instead
- Which content sources AI relies on
- Which assets actually influence answers
Traditional SEO tools can’t answer these questions because they were built for rankings and clicks, not citations, mentions, and narrative influence.
But generative engines don’t operate on keywords. Generative engines operate on comprehension, trust, authority, and clarity.
That’s why Brandi AI exists.
The GEO Visibility Gap Is Now a Business Risk
If 37% of buyers start with AI, according to the survey — and nearly half will make purchasing decisions based on AI-generated recommendations — invisibility comes with real cost:
- Lost pipeline you never knew existed
- Competitors defining your category narrative
- AI misinterpreting or oversimplifying your offerings
- Declining ROI from content investments
- Longer sales cycles due to misinformation or confusion
And remember: AI shortlists compound over time — the brands cited or mentioned today become the “default answers” tomorrow.
That makes early Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) maturity a strategic advantage.
How Brandi AI Helps Brands Win the AI Answer Economy
Brandi AI was built from the ground up to measure and improve brand visibility inside generative AI answers.
Brandi AI helps brands:
- See when and where they are cited or mentioned across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity
- Track AI Share of Voice against competitors
- Identify the content AI uses to describe your brand
- Diagnose gaps where you should be cited or mentioned — but aren’t
- Understand why AI gives certain brands preference
- Optimize content structure for AI comprehension and citation readiness
Because when you understand how AI sees your brand, you gain the ability to shape the narrative, instead of guessing.
Key Takeaways
- AI has become the new starting point for discovery.
- AI now creates the first brand impression — and search validates it.
- AI-generated shortlists shape purchasing decisions.
- Authority beats volume in the AI era.
- Lack of AI visibility and Generative Engine Optimization of web content is now a business risk.
The Bottom Line
The Eight Oh Two survey confirms what Brandi AI has known for months:
- AI is now the starting point for discovery
- Trust is shifting from blue links to synthesized answers
- AI shortlists determine which brands get considered
- Authority — not volume — determines visibility
- Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is now a mission-critical discipline
And if you don’t know how AI is representing your brand today? You’re already behind.
That’s why we built Brandi AI — so marketing and communications leaders can finally see, measure, and influence how their brand shows up in AI-generated answers.
Ready to See How AI is Talking About Your Brand?
→ Schedule a demo of Brandi AI.
Let’s make sure AI tells the right version of your story.
Frequently Asked Questions About How AI is Replacing Google for Search
What does it mean that 37% of consumers now start with AI instead of Google?
It means AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini are now the first place people go for answers, replacing the traditional Google results page as the starting point for discovery. According to the 2026 AI & Search Behavior Study by Eight Oh Two, consumers increasingly trust AI-generated summaries before checking search. This shifts brand visibility from rankings to being cited or mentioned directly inside AI answers.
How does Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) differ from traditional SEO?
Generative Engine Optimization focuses on getting brands cited or mentioned inside AI-generated answers rather than ranking blue links. Unlike SEO, GEO optimizes for trust, clarity, and machine-readable authority that generative engines rely on. This is critical because AI produces shortlists, not pages of results.
Why do AI-generated shortlists have such a big impact on brand trust and purchase decisions?
AI-generated shortlists typically present only 3–5 brands, which instantly narrows the consideration set. The Eight Oh Two study shows nearly half of consumers trust AI recommendations when comparing products or making purchase decisions. Brands not mentioned by AI tools like Claude or Perplexity often never enter the evaluation process.
Can Brandi AI help my brand become visible inside AI-generated answers?
Brandi AI helps brands measure and improve how they appear across major generative AI platforms. It tracks AI citations and mentions, analyzes how AI describes your brand, and identifies gaps where competitors are being mentioned instead. This allows marketing teams to optimize content for AI comprehension and citation readiness.