How People Are Choosing to Search
We've built the Q3 2026 SearchPulse report around the next stage of that shift: not whether people delegate to AI, but what they do next. Once an AI tool gives an answer, a large share of users still go looking for confirmation elsewhere, reading the original source, cross-checking a second tool, or turning to a community that feels more human. That habit isn't fading as AI adoption grows. If anything, our data shows it's the more frequent AI users who verify more, not less.
That verification habit is only part of the picture. Search has also fragmented with ChatGPT still leading on regular use, but its growth has stalled, while Claude has grown from a niche presence into a genuine share of the market within a year. Meanwhile, platforms like Reddit are earning a kind of trust neither search engines nor AI assistants have matched and for many users, it simply feels more real. Brands now have to be credible across a wider, less predictable set of touchpoints than a single search bar ever required.
Beyond the Answer
The future of search isn't just about who adopts AI; it's about who earns trust once people start checking its work. Download the full Q3 2026 SearchPulse report to see how verification, fragmentation and authenticity are reshaping the customer journey, and what that means for staying visible, credible, and competitive.
View now“The future isn't one discovery channel replacing another. It's consumers stitching together information from multiple sources before making a decision.” — Jay Sadfar, Performance Engine Lead, Lloyds Banking Group
