What consumers actually do after an AI recommendation, according to new Kinsta survey data

AI is changing how consumers discover products and brands, but this new landscape hasn’t replaced the need for a trusted website.

Kinsta’s survey of 1,008 US consumers shows that consumers use AI tools during their research phase, but they remain skeptical of AI-generated content and often return to a company’s website to verify what they’ve found before making a decision.

Discovery

  • 59.2% use AI tools often or occasionally for research
  • 53.8% sometimes or often skip websites entirely during that research
  • 61.2% believe AI will eventually replace websites as the primary way people discover products

Among consumers who often skip websites and rely on AI answers:

  • 52.2% say AI is faster than searching multiple websites
  • 45.2% say it makes it easier to ask follow-up questions
  • 42% point to too many ads or pop-ups on websites
  • 37.6% say traditional search results feel cluttered or SEO-driven

Trust in AI

  • 58% trust content less once they suspect it was AI-generated
  • 52.1% trust traditional search results more than AI-generated answers
  • Only 18.8% always trust an AI product recommendation without doing additional research
  • 90.7% are concerned about AI-generated misinformation

Consumers also believe AI-generated content is already widespread:

  • 86.2% think they encounter AI-generated content often or occasionally online
  • 77.3% are very or somewhat confident they can identify AI-generated content

Websites as verification

After receiving an AI recommendation:

  • 44.7% always or most of the time visit a company’s website after receiving an AI recommendation
  • 25% visit the company’s website occasionally

Website quality also affects how consumers perceive the company behind it:

  • 61.1% associate the quality of a company’s website with the quality of its products or services

Reviews and authenticity

  • 70.9% have suspected a product review was fake or AI-generated
  • 59% have stopped engaging with content because they suspected it was AI-generated
  • 43.3% say knowing bots are active online makes them trust websites less

Survey methodology

Propeller Insights conducted a national survey of 1,008 U.S. consumers for Kinsta. The margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.

Kinsta

The Kinsta Team consists of WordPress experts, performance engineers, and support professionals passionate about fast, secure, and scalable hosting. We publish in-depth guides, research, and practical advice to help you build and grow with WordPress.