I’ve noticed something remarkable about how we, as Americans, are searching for information these days. Pew Research Center recently reported that 60% of us are now reading AI-generated summaries at the top of our search results, while approximately 40% have turned to chatbots for finding information.
It’s fascinating to see that AI-generated answers are appearing more and more, whether in traditional search results or dedicated chatbot platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot, as Pew discovered.
AI summaries reach most searchers. According to Pew, six out of ten American adults have read AI summaries at the top of search results. Surprisingly, three out of ten haven’t, which suggests room for growth.
Interestingly, another 10% are unsure if they’ve read AI summaries. It seems some of us may not clearly recognize them when they pop up in our search results. The research also found that men are slightly more inclined than women to read these summaries, with 63% versus 57%. Those of us aged 65 and older are less likely to engage with them.
Chatbots are search tools. Chatbots are increasingly becoming popular search tools. About half of American adults have used AI chatbots, which is a jump from one-third back in 2024. What’s more, about one in four of us make use of them daily.
The most common reason we use chatbots? Searching for information. Around 40% of adults turn to chatbots for this purpose, more than for entertainment, media creation, or even advice on fitness and medical matters. Interestingly, work-related tasks follow closely behind, with 38% of employed adults utilizing chatbots at their jobs.
ChatGPT dominates. ChatGPT remains the most popular chatbot by a significant margin. Pew indicates that 44% of U.S. adults have now engaged with ChatGPT, which is up from 34% last year and over twice the number reported in 2023.
Gemini takes second place, with about a quarter of us using it, followed by Copilot and Meta AI. Tools like Grok, Claude, and Character.ai have a much smaller audience, with only about one in ten of us using them, if at all.
Why we care. In today’s world, finding information doesn’t just mean looking at traditional search results. We now also find answers through AI summaries and chatbot responses, which is a fact worth noting, especially when it comes to understanding where people are sourcing their information.
Dig deeper. For more insights on AI search adoption and consumer trust, check out the study.
About the data. Pew Research Center gathered this data by surveying 5,119 American adults from February 17-23, 2026, via its American Trends Panel. The margin of error for this study is plus or minus 1.6 percentage points.
The report. For a more detailed look at the survey, visit Americans and AI 2026: Chatbots, Smart Devices and Views on Impact.
Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.
