AI search statistics for 2026: usage, clicks and conversions
We pulled the most-cited AI search numbers back to their original source and checked each one against the publisher's own page. Nothing here is estimated by us; every figure links to the study it came from.
By the AIO Automatic team · Last updated
How many people use AI search in 2026?
Google reported AI Overviews reached 2 billion monthly users and AI Mode passed 100 million monthly users in the US and India (July 2025). ChatGPT hit 800 million weekly users (October 2025), and the Gemini app passed 750 million monthly users (February 2026). Pew found 60% of US adults read AI summaries in search.
- Google AI Overviews: 2 billion monthly users, up from 1.5 billion in May 2025 (TechCrunch).
- ChatGPT: 800 million weekly active users, announced at OpenAI DevDay (TechCrunch).
- Gemini app: over 750 million monthly active users (TechCrunch).
- 60% of US adults say they ever read AI summaries at the top of search results; 42% of US adults say they use AI chatbots to search for information (Pew Research Center, 2026).
Do AI Overviews reduce clicks to websites?
Yes. Pew's browsing study of 900 US adults found people clicked a traditional result on 8% of visits with an AI summary versus 15% without one. Ahrefs measured a 58% lower click-through rate for the top-ranking page when an AI Overview appears, up from 34.5% in its April 2025 study.
- People clicked a link inside the AI summary itself on about 1% of visits (Pew).
- Sessions ended on 26% of pages with an AI summary versus 16% with only traditional results (Pew).
- Ahrefs analysed 300,000 keywords for its click study (Ahrefs).
- Similarweb data showed no-click Google searches grew from 56% to 69% after AI Overviews launched (Search Engine Roundtable).
| Metric | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Google AI Overviews monthly users | 2 billion (July 2025) | TechCrunch / Alphabet Q2 2025 |
| Google AI Mode monthly users (US + India) | 100 million+ (July 2025) | TechCrunch / Alphabet Q2 2025 |
| ChatGPT weekly active users | 800 million (October 2025) | TechCrunch |
| Gemini app monthly active users | 750 million+ (February 2026) | TechCrunch |
| US adults who read AI summaries in search | 60% | Pew Research Center, 2026 |
| Click on a result: with vs without AI summary | 8% vs 15% of visits | Pew Research Center, 2025 |
| Top-ranking page CTR change when AI Overview shows | -58% | Ahrefs |
| Extra organic clicks when cited in an AI Overview | +35% | Seer Interactive |
| AI search visitor value vs organic visitor | 4.4x | Semrush |
Which searches trigger AI summaries most often?
Longer and question-style searches. In Pew's March 2025 data, 18% of all Google searches produced an AI summary. Only 8% of one- or two-word searches did, rising to 53% for searches of 10 words or more. That is the same conversational phrasing people use when they ask an AI engine for a recommendation.
Is being cited in an AI Overview worth anything?
Yes. Seer Interactive found brands cited inside an AI Overview earn 35% more organic clicks and 91% more paid clicks than when they are not cited. Its 2026 update, covering 53 brands and 5.47 million queries, also saw organic CTR on AI Overview queries rebound from 1.3% to 2.4% between December 2025 and February 2026.
Seer's September 2025 update measured organic CTR on AI Overview queries falling 61% (1.76% to 0.61%) and paid CTR falling 68% since June 2024 (Seer Interactive). The citation gap is why we track AI citations and AI share of voice, not just rankings.
Are visitors from AI search more valuable?
Semrush found the average visitor from AI search is worth 4.4 times the average traditional organic search visitor, measured by conversion rate. Fewer people click, but the ones who do arrive after the AI has already compared options and recommended a brand, so they are further along in deciding.
That combination, fewer clicks but better ones, is the case for being the brand AI names. See how to get AI to recommend your brand for the playbook.
Frequently asked questions
Did AIO Automatic produce these numbers?
No. This page compiles third-party studies. Each figure links to the original publisher, and we checked every number against that source page on the date shown.
Why do click-loss figures differ between studies?
They measure different things: Pew tracked real users' browsing, Ahrefs modelled top-position CTR across 300,000 keywords, and Seer tracked its clients' Search Console data. Each is accurate for its own method.
How often is this page updated?
When a cited publisher releases new data. The date at the top shows the last check.
Can I cite this page?
Yes, but cite the original study for each number too. The source links are next to every figure and listed in full below.
Sources
- TechCrunch: Google's AI Overviews have 2B monthly users, AI Mode 100M in the US and India (July 23, 2025)
- TechCrunch: Sam Altman says ChatGPT has hit 800M weekly active users (October 6, 2025)
- TechCrunch: Google's Gemini app has surpassed 750M monthly active users (February 2026)
- Pew Research Center: Americans and AI 2026 (June 17, 2026)
- Pew Research Center: Google users are less likely to click on links when an AI summary appears (July 22, 2025)
- Ahrefs: Update: AI Overviews reduce clicks by 58%
- Search Engine Roundtable: Similarweb says no-click Google searches grew from 56% to 69% since AI Overviews
- Seer Interactive: AIO impact on Google CTR, September 2025 update
- Seer Interactive: AIO impact on Google CTR, 2026 update
- Semrush: AI search and SEO traffic study