SearchPulse finds 51.9% of Reddit users say the platform provides information from “real people” – raising questions about the value of human experience as AI search grows
AI is making it easier than ever for consumers to find an answer. But new research from the performance marketing agency Reflect Digital highlights a potential shift in what consumers look for beyond an answer.
The latest SearchPulse Q3 2026 report found that 51.9% of Reddit users say the platform provides information from “real people”, compared with just 11% for ChatGPT and 9% for Google Search.
The finding highlights a clear distinction between information and experience. AI can bring together information quickly and summarise options, but first-hand experiences, independent perspectives and communities can provide something different: context around what something is actually like.
Meanwhile, 47% of consumers now use at least one of the AI search tools tracked by SearchPulse, with Google Search remaining the most widely used at 78%. ChatGPT is used by 31%, Gemini by 21%, and Claude by 8%.
AI tools are increasingly valued for the convenience they offer, particularly their ability to save consumers the effort of visiting multiple websites. But almost a third (32%) say they don’t fully trust AI-generated results, while 25% prefer to check sources themselves.
As AI becomes more embedded in discovery, consumers can increasingly get an answer to almost any question in seconds. However, a harder question may be: “Do I believe it, and what does this actually mean for me?”
A consumer researching a purchase might use AI to understand their options, search to find specific information, then look to reviews, communities or other people’s experiences before deciding whether the answer feels right.
Together, the findings suggest that getting an answer is only one part of the journey: consumers may still seek additional information, experience and reassurance before they feel confident enough to act.
Becky Simms, Founder and CEO at Reflect Digital, says: “AI can take huge amounts of information and turn it into an answer in seconds.
“But the value of an answer isn’t necessarily the same as the value of an experience. When we’re making a decision, we often want to know what happened to someone else, whether they faced the same problem, or whether something actually worked in the real world.
“The SearchPulse data doesn’t suggest that consumers are abandoning AI. Quite the opposite. But it does suggest there is a distinction between getting information and feeling confident enough to act on it.
“For marketers, that creates an important opportunity: don’t just give AI more information about your brand. Give consumers evidence, expertise and genuine experiences that make your brand easier to believe.”
With consumers increasingly able to find answers instantly, brands need to think beyond simply providing more information. The opportunity is to build the evidence, expertise and human experience around those answers – giving consumers reasons to trust what they find and confidence to take the next step.
Becky suggests that brands:
1. Create information worth finding
Original research, proprietary data, expert insight and genuinely useful content give both consumers and AI systems something more valuable than generic information.
2. Show what happens in the real world
Customer experiences, case studies, reviews and first-hand perspectives can add context that a summarised answer cannot provide.
3. Build independent credibility
Consumers don’t only encounter brands through their own websites. News coverage, expert commentary, communities, reviews and other third-party sources can all influence whether information feels credible.
4. Answer the question behind the question
If someone asks “Which is best?”, they may really be asking “Which is best for someone like me?”. Understanding those underlying questions can help brands create content that supports decisions rather than simply answering searches.
5. Think beyond AI visibility
Being included in an AI answer is increasingly important – but it shouldn’t be the end goal. Brands need to consider what happens when someone wants to validate, challenge or understand that answer. Are you showing up in those touchpoints and different parts of the journey?
As Jay Safdar, Performance Engine Lead at Lloyds Banking Group, who contributed to the report, puts it: “The future isn’t one discovery channel replacing another. It’s consumers stitching together information from multiple sources before making a decision.”
For brands, that means thinking beyond individual platforms or formats and building credible visibility across the wider ecosystem. The goal isn’t simply to be found – it’s to be credible wherever consumers go next.
SearchPulse’s Q3 findings suggest that human experience occupies a different space in the search journey – one built around context, perspective, and the reassurance that comes from hearing from someone who has actually been there.
AI may make information abundant. The opportunity for brands is to make their information credible, useful, and worth believing. Because when everyone can provide an answer, the differentiator may be the evidence and experience that sits behind it.
To download and read the Searchpulse report, click here.
Source: Reflect Digital
AI HAS MADE ANSWERS EASIER. BUT CONSUMERS STILL WANT SOMETHING AI CAN’T GIVE THEM added by newsroom on
View all posts by newsroom →
You must be logged in to post a comment Login