A significant 53% of consumers distrust or have a lack of confidence in the reliability and impartiality of AI search and summaries, according to a survey by Gartner.
This concern is reflected in user frustration, with 41% of consumers reporting that generative AI overviews make the search process more frustrating than traditional search methods.
A Gartner Consumer Community survey of 377 US consumers, conducted in June and July 2025, revealed a strong demand for user autonomy: a majority (61%) of consumers wish for an option to toggle AI summaries on or off, underscoring the importance of user control in shaping the search journey.
“The impact of AI extends beyond improving the search experience, altering how consumers seek and interact with search platforms, and how marketers approach visibility,” says Noam Dorros, director analyst in the Gartner Marketing practice.
“Digital marketing strategies must evolve to not only optimise for these AI-powered results, but also to reinforce brand trust through comprehensive and reliable information, recognising that not all consumers embrace AI summaries equally.”
While AI-powered results represent a significant evolution in the search landscape, their role in product research remains limited. Consumers find AI summaries most useful for initial product exploration, but the perceived usefulness of these summaries declines when evaluating value options, and they drop further when finalising a purchase.
Source: Gartner (June-July 2025)
“As the journey toward a fully AI-redefined consumer search experience continues, brands should strengthen their reputation as trusted sources and optimise content for visibility within AI-generated summaries, while prioritising transparency and user choice,” advises Dorros.
“To do this, brands should pursue a multichannel discoverability strategy and maximise visibility by optimising for both AI-powered overviews and traditional SEO, ensuring their content is structured, authoritative and relevant at every stage of the search journey.”