77% of Americans Treat ChatGPT as a Search Engine, Research Finds

A new study from Adobe reveals that more than three-quarters of Americans now use ChatGPT as a search engine — marking a major shift in how people find information online.

According to the survey of 1,000 U.S. participants, including 800 consumers and 200 marketers or small business owners, 77% said they’ve used ChatGPT to search for information, while nearly one in four (24%) said it’s the first place they go when they need answers.

A Shift in How People Search

For decades, Google and Bing have dominated online search. But the rise of conversational AI tools such as ChatGPT is changing that behavior. Instead of typing keywords and browsing links, users are now asking direct questions — and getting summarized, conversational responses instantly.

The study found that younger generations are leading the change, with 28% of Gen Z respondents saying they start their online searches on ChatGPT. Usage is widespread across all age groups, however — 80% of Gen X, 77% of Gen Z, 75% of Millennials, and 74% of Baby Boomers reported using ChatGPT to find answers.

Why People Prefer ChatGPT

When asked why they turn to ChatGPT, 54% of users said it’s because the AI can summarize complex topics quickly. About a third also appreciated that it takes fewer clicks to get the information they need compared to traditional search engines.

Many users said they prefer ChatGPT for creative or open-ended questions (81%), while 77% felt the responses were more personalized than what they would get from Google.

The trend is not just about convenience — it’s also about trust. Three in ten people surveyed said they trust ChatGPT’s answers more than search results from traditional engines.

Discovering New Products and Brands

Interestingly, the research found that ChatGPT isn’t just a tool for answering questions — it’s also becoming a discovery engine.
More than a third of U.S. users (36%) said they found a new product or brand through ChatGPT. Among younger users, that number is even higher: 47% of Gen Z and 37% of Gen X discovered new products through AI-generated suggestions.

How Businesses and Marketers Are Responding

This shift is changing how businesses think about online visibility. Nearly half of marketers and business owners (47%) surveyed said they already use ChatGPT to help market or promote their products, creating everything from social media content to blog posts.

Two-thirds of them plan to increase their focus on “AI visibility” in 2025 — meaning they want their brands to appear in AI-generated responses, not just traditional search results.

More than three-quarters (76%) of these professionals said it’s essential for their brand to appear in ChatGPT answers. To achieve that, many are focusing on data-driven content (57%) and how-to guides (51%), which tend to perform well in AI search results.

The Future of Search

As people grow more comfortable using AI tools to ask questions, generate ideas, and make purchasing decisions, the boundaries between search engines and chatbots are beginning to blur.

Experts say that businesses will need to adapt — optimizing their content not just for Google, but also for the algorithms that power conversational AI.

In the words of the Adobe report: “The way we search is changing, and businesses that capture this growing audience will be ready for what’s next.”