For decades, “Google It” has been the answer if you want answers online. But that could be changing: According to new survey data, more and more people are changing search engines to AI-powered chatbots like chatgpt.
More than a quarter of people recently examined in the United States reported to use AI tools instead of a traditional search engines. This number was lower in the UK, but still representative of a significant shift in consumer behavior, with 13% of respondents saying they are now addressing AI in front of traditional search tools such as Bing and Google.
The data comes from in -depth research conducted in December 2024 by Future, the publisher who owns Techradar. Hundreds of the UK and US consumers participated in the study and answered a number of questions about their interaction with AI-driven tools and services.
Like revealing like these headline statistics, the reasons are that people gave to use AI tools instead of search engines. We have detached the main takeaways below – and the answers provide fascinating reading.
More AI study results
Why do people change?
Each study participant who said they are using AI instead of search engines was asked to give reasons. The sentiments were remarkably similar on both sides of the Atlantic, where five clear threads came out of the data.
Time-saving and efficiency was a reason where users hinted that AI tools are delivering specific results faster. A participant in the United States went into detail and said that AI tools allow them to “understand key information faster, without having to browse everything one by one as in the traditional way.”
It was repeated by the British respondents, including one who wrote that AI tools are “much more specific than a general Google search.”
But it is not just speed that appeals to adoptors of AI. Ease of use also plays a key role in the shift away from traditional search engines, with a series of answers that claim that AI tools make the search process simpler, more user-friendly and with the words of a British participant- “more practical”. An American participant summed it briefly: “It’s easier than Googling!”
Accuracy of results is another factor cited in the study of the study. In the United States, a user commented that “the results of AI search are more accurate”, reflecting a broader idea that AI tools offer more relevant information, with less noise than traditional search. “I’ll be more accurate [sic] And less bias in search results, ”wrote a British participant.
The contextual awareness of AI tools also seems to be a key factor in pulling users away from search engines.
One British user wrote that they “used it to get more tailor -made results when they wrote my master’s dissertation,” while another said that AI “feels more specific and personal.” It was mirrored by answers in the United States, including one who reported that AI response is “adapted to each question.”
Finally, the respondents praised the depth and insight offered by AI tools. “It gives more of an in -depth explanation rather than traditional search engines,” wrote a participant in the UK.
The ability of some praised AI tools to summarize complex topics in an accessible way, while others appreciated the creative potential of exchanges with AI -Chatbots. “It can understand the context really well and chat with me,” an American user wrote.
“To exchange Google to Chatgpt is not a jump – it’s evolution”
The emotions expressed in the study are in line with lots of AI experts.
According to AJ Ghergich, a global VP by Botify, “People wake up to ‘AI as everyday assistant, not just a search engine.’ ‘
He continues: “Swetting Google to Chatgpt is not a jump-it is evolution. We are dealing with link-rolling for conversation, moving from digital library cards to having a personal scientist who speaks back.
“We are done with generic search results. AI promises something better – a digital confidential one who gets to know you, remembers your preferences and become smarter with each conversation.”
Meanwhile, Ben Wood, chief analyst, CCS Insight, says the research “matches the feedback that CCS insight sees from consumers. About 45% of the people we spoke with in the UK told us the most convincing use of AI is to gather the answers without having to click on search results.
Much of this feedback reflects our own practical experience in comparing chatgpt search with Google search, and with them as confusion search, which also offers an AI alternative to traditional search engines, we would not be surprised if future studies see this trend accelerating .
As John-Anthony Disotto, Techradar’s senior AI author, says: “People want info and they want it quickly. AI shows that it can get you accurate information faster than something we’ve seen before.”
510 participants from the US and 518 participants from the UK responded to the study.
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