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The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has taken nearly every industry by storm. And search engines aren’t waiting to be caught in the thick of it.
To find out what people think about AI-generated search results and how willing they are to use the technology, we asked 1,000 adults in the U.S. for their opinions.
Here are the highlights:
- Over two-thirds of respondents are familiar with AI and have used it in key situations, where education, entertainment, and shopping were the most common.
- 59% of respondents use AI-powered search results, but only 14% trust them completely
- While 50% of respondents prefer a wait-and-see approach for new AI technologies, 3 out 4 ultimately want AI to be present in their daily lives.
What are AI-Generated Search Results?
AI-generated search results use artificial intelligence to answer internet searches conversationally by citing existing sources of information. But how the platforms do this seems to still be up in the air.
In early May 2024, Google started the rollout of Google Search Generative Experience (SGE), which adds summary responses to users' searches at the top of their results page. Microsoft went in a different direction and launched an AI-powered chat feature, Copilot, that works a lot like ChatGPT.
This type of technology is still in its infancy. And yet, 30% of respondents already prefer having AI-generated answers in their search results.
How Comfortable Are Users with AI Technology?
According to our survey results, people are aware of the technology, but still scratching the surface when it comes to understanding and trusting it. Although more than two-thirds of our respondents indicate having knowledge of generative AI and AI tools, only 13% overall consider themselves extremely knowledgeable.
That’s not entirely shocking as Open AI made headlines last year with its user-friendly AI chatbot, ChatGPT. What is shocking, though, is that topical knowledge of these types of tools tends to increase among higher-income earners and those with advanced degrees, with 37% of respondents earning at least $100K thinking AI should be regularly present.
But comfort doesn’t automatically mean users accept AI-generated search results wholeheartedly.
Many of our respondents have a healthy skepticism of AI tools and AI-powered search. Just shy of half had adopted a “wait-and-see” mindset about AI technologies and preferred that the businesses they use have the same mindset.
Why? They don’t quite trust it yet.
Only 14% of respondents trust AI-generated results completely with another 33% saying they’d trust the result depending on the source. But despite the lack of complete trust, users still admit that AI technologies improve their search experiences.
At Scorpion, we're here to help you leverage these findings to enhance your business strategy. Whether you're aiming to improve customer experiences, optimize search capabilities, or stay ahead in your industry, our team is ready to assist.
Contact us today and let's discuss how you can utilize these insights to propel your business forward in the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence.
