Majority of Consumers Distrust AI-Powered Search Results: Gartner Survey
Marketers must build topical authority by consistently publishing in-depth, accurate, well-researched content
San Diego, CA (Sept. 3, 2025) – A slight majority (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, Inc., a business and technology insights company. 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 U.S. 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,” said Noam Dorros, Director Analyst in the Gartner Marketing practice. “Digital marketing strategies must evolve to not only optimize for these AI-powered results, but also to reinforce brand trust through comprehensive and reliable information, recognizing 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 finalizing a purchase (see Figure 1).
Figure 1
“As the journey toward a fully AI-redefined consumer search experience continues, brands should strengthen their reputation as trusted sources and optimize content for visibility within AI-generated summaries, while prioritizing transparency and user choice,” advised Dorros. “To do this, brands should pursue a multichannel discoverability strategy and maximize visibility by optimizing for both AI-powered overviews and traditional SEO, ensuring their content is structured, authoritative, and relevant at every stage of the search journey.”
Gartner clients can read more in the report: Digital IQ: Search Marketing Benchmarks for 2025.
About Gartner AI Use Case Insights
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Source: Gartner