AI search
Generative AI went from a rounding error to a mainstream channel for finding local businesses in about a year. The figures below are from the original surveys, and the picture they paint is more complicated than either the hype or the dismissal: adoption is fast, but AI is almost never the last step.
Where these numbers come from
BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 — 1,002 US adults, United States. Published 11 February 2026. Checked against the original on 10 November 2026.
BrightLocal, Consumer Search Behavior 2026 — 1,227 US consumers who searched for a local business in the previous three months, United States. Published 9 July 2026. Checked against the original on 10 November 2026.
Pew Research Center, Americans and AI 2026: Chatbots, Smart Devices and Views on Impact — 5,119 US adults, United States. Published 17 June 2026. Checked against the original on 10 November 2026.
Every figure on this page was read from the study itself, not from another article quoting it. Nothing is rounded or reworded.
Adoption is the fastest-moving number in local search.
Use of ChatGPT and other generative AI tools for local business recommendations rose from 6% to 45% in one year.
BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 — 1,002 US adults, United States. Published 11 February 2026. Checked against the original on 10 November 2026.
Use of ChatGPT and other generative AI tools for local business recommendations rose from 6% to 45% in one year. Source: BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (1,002 US adults, United States, 11 February 2026). Via Climbo: https://www.climbo.com/statistics/ai-search-statistics#stat-ai-local-reco
31% of consumers use AI tools for local business recommendations at least monthly.
BrightLocal, Consumer Search Behavior 2026 — 1,227 US consumers who searched for a local business in the previous three months, United States. Published 9 July 2026. Checked against the original on 10 November 2026.
31% of consumers use AI tools for local business recommendations at least monthly. Source: BrightLocal, Consumer Search Behavior 2026 (1,227 US consumers who searched for a local business in the previous three months, United States, 9 July 2026). Via Climbo: https://www.climbo.com/statistics/ai-search-statistics#stat-ai-monthly-31
49% of US adults say they ever use AI chatbots, up from 33% in 2024.
Pew Research Center, Americans and AI 2026: Chatbots, Smart Devices and Views on Impact — 5,119 US adults, United States. Published 17 June 2026. Checked against the original on 10 November 2026.
49% of US adults say they ever use AI chatbots, up from 33% in 2024. Source: Pew Research Center, Americans and AI 2026: Chatbots, Smart Devices and Views on Impact (5,119 US adults, United States, 17 June 2026). Via Climbo: https://www.climbo.com/statistics/ai-search-statistics#stat-chatbot-49
Among US adults, 44% use ChatGPT, 24% Gemini, 17% Copilot, 14% Meta AI, 8% Grok and 6% Claude.
Pew Research Center, Americans and AI 2026: Chatbots, Smart Devices and Views on Impact — 5,119 US adults, United States. Published 17 June 2026. Checked against the original on 10 November 2026.
Among US adults, 44% use ChatGPT, 24% Gemini, 17% Copilot, 14% Meta AI, 8% Grok and 6% Claude. Source: Pew Research Center, Americans and AI 2026: Chatbots, Smart Devices and Views on Impact (5,119 US adults, United States, 17 June 2026). Via Climbo: https://www.climbo.com/statistics/ai-search-statistics#stat-chatbot-mix
Trust lags well behind use, and a fifth of consumers reject the channel outright.
40% of consumers trust AI platforms to recommend a local business.
BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 — 1,002 US adults, United States. Published 11 February 2026. Checked against the original on 10 November 2026.
40% of consumers trust AI platforms to recommend a local business. Source: BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (1,002 US adults, United States, 11 February 2026). Via Climbo: https://www.climbo.com/statistics/ai-search-statistics#stat-trust-ai-40
19% of consumers say they would not consider using AI to find a local business.
BrightLocal, Consumer Search Behavior 2026 — 1,227 US consumers who searched for a local business in the previous three months, United States. Published 9 July 2026. Checked against the original on 10 November 2026.
19% of consumers say they would not consider using AI to find a local business. Source: BrightLocal, Consumer Search Behavior 2026 (1,227 US consumers who searched for a local business in the previous three months, United States, 9 July 2026). Via Climbo: https://www.climbo.com/statistics/ai-search-statistics#stat-ai-refuse-19
Among consumers already using AI for local search, 18% felt ready to contact a business the AI recommended.
BrightLocal, Consumer Search Behavior 2026 — 1,227 US consumers who searched for a local business in the previous three months, United States. Published 9 July 2026. Checked against the original on 10 November 2026.
Among consumers already using AI for local search, 18% felt ready to contact a business the AI recommended. Source: BrightLocal, Consumer Search Behavior 2026 (1,227 US consumers who searched for a local business in the previous three months, United States, 9 July 2026). Via Climbo: https://www.climbo.com/statistics/ai-search-statistics#stat-ai-ready-18
82% of consumers read AI-generated review summaries.
BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 — 1,002 US adults, United States. Published 11 February 2026. Checked against the original on 10 November 2026.
82% of consumers read AI-generated review summaries. Source: BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (1,002 US adults, United States, 11 February 2026). Via Climbo: https://www.climbo.com/statistics/ai-search-statistics#stat-ai-summaries-82
This is the finding most often missed: an assistant is rarely the last step.
Only 8% of consumers chose an AI tool as the first channel of their local business search, and 43% of those went on to check Google.
BrightLocal, Consumer Search Behavior 2026 — 1,227 US consumers who searched for a local business in the previous three months, United States. Published 9 July 2026. Checked against the original on 10 November 2026.
Only 8% of consumers chose an AI tool as the first channel of their local business search, and 43% of those went on to check Google. Source: BrightLocal, Consumer Search Behavior 2026 (1,227 US consumers who searched for a local business in the previous three months, United States, 9 July 2026). Via Climbo: https://www.climbo.com/statistics/ai-search-statistics#stat-ai-first-8
Each figure lives on one page only. These cover the neighbouring questions.
Where local searches startGoogle's share, the other channels used along the way, and what happens after an AI answer Online review statisticshow many people read reviews, and the thresholds they apply45% of consumers used ChatGPT or another generative AI tool for local business recommendations in the past year, up from 6% the year before, according to BrightLocal's Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 of 1,002 US adults. 31% use AI tools for that purpose at least monthly, according to BrightLocal's Consumer Search Behavior 2026 survey of 1,227 US consumers.
Partly. 40% of consumers say they trust AI platforms to recommend a local business, while 19% say they would not consider using AI to find one at all, according to BrightLocal's 2026 surveys. Only 18% of those already using AI for local search felt ready to contact a business the AI recommended.
Not yet, and the data suggests it mostly adds a step. Only 8% of consumers chose an AI tool as the first channel of their most recent local search, and 43% of them went on to check Google anyway. By comparison, 33% of those who started on Google stopped there. Source: BrightLocal, Consumer Search Behavior 2026.
Among US adults, 44% use ChatGPT, 24% Gemini, 17% Copilot, 14% Meta AI, 8% Grok and 6% Claude, according to Pew Research Center's Americans and AI 2026 survey of 5,119 US adults.
No. Every study cited on this page surveyed adults in the United States only.
First published 10 November 2026. Every source on this page was last reopened and its figures confirmed on 10 November 2026. That date moves when a source is checked again, not when the page is rebuilt, and a figure is replaced only if the publishing organisation has changed it.
An assistant can only recommend a business it can read about. Climbo is a white-label platform marketing agencies resell to local businesses, and its GEO Agent writes a local article every week from the client's own reviews — so there is something to read.
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