Conversational AI assistants like ChatGPT are becoming a core part of people’s daily lives, including helping them research and discover new products and services. But most consumers are yet to fully trust AI-recommended brands.
A poll of 2,564 UK consumers I commissioned for CloudNine PR reveals that:
- 52% of those who use AI chat tools like ChatGPT say AI makes it easier to find new brands they might never have found otherwise.
- But 79% would still want to check other sources before trusting AI recommendations
- Only 4% would consider buying an unfamiliar brand recommended by AI without carrying out further research. They would check on search engines, online review sites, the brand website, mentions in online publications and social media.
- With Google and OpenAI pressing ahead with the rollout of advertising in their AI tools, and rivals Anthropic and Perplexity standing firmly against ads, 63% of AI users say that if a tool started showing ads, they would likely switch to an alternative that doesn’t.
The research explores how conversational AI assistants are changing the product discovery journey. Read on for an overview of the four key questions it addresses.
1. How does AI improve product discovery?
The data suggests that AI is becoming a powerful discovery channel, exposing people to new products and services and potentially helping lesser-known brands compete with established brands. 52% of consumers who use AI chat tools agree that they make it easier to discover new brands they wouldn’t have found otherwise. And 48% would consider buying from a brand recommended by AI even if they had never heard of it before.
2. Do consumers trust AI recommendations?
While trust in AI is growing, consumers are far from ready to blindly accept AI-driven brand and product recommendations.
Currently, 41% of consumers who have used AI assistants believe that brands recommended by AI will be good or reliable options. 40% say they trust AI recommendations as much as those they find on traditional search engines such as Google. The same proportion (40%) trusts AI recommendations as much as products they find via Amazon searches.
79% would still want to check other sources before completely trusting an AI-recommended brand.
Most people still want the reassurance of being able to view the original sources/citations that AI assistants use to generate their answers. 60% say they’re more likely to trust AI recommendations if they are supported by information from multiple sources, including articles, reviews and influencer content.
3. How does AI fit into the discovery journey?
For many consumers, AI is becoming the starting point for the product discovery journey.
AI recommendations are rarely viewed in isolation. Only 4% of people who use AI chat tools would immediately make a purchase from a brand recommended by AI that they haven’t heard of before. Instead, consumers are using AI as part of a broader research process.
If they see an AI recommendation for an unfamiliar brand, they try to validate it by looking elsewhere. 46% check on Google or other search engines, 43% explore online reviews, 32% visit the brand website and 27% would search on Amazon. 10% would check mentions in online publications and 9% would look for social mentions.
AI is operating less as a replacement for search, reviews, marketplaces and other channels and more as an additional layer in the product discovery journey.
4. How will ads impact trust in AI answers?
Both Google and OpenAI are expanding the rollout of advertising within conversational AI experiences (in Google AI mode and in ChatGPT). But ads are not yet widespread in either. How will advertising impact user experience and consumer trust in AI answers?
According to the survey, 63% of UK consumers who use AI assistants agree (27% strongly) that if they start seeing ads, they are likely switch to an alternative tool that’s ad-free. Over half (54%) say they would have less trust in AI recommendations if companies are showing ads in AI answers.
Some of these numbers back up the findings of a February 2026, US survey by IPSOS in which 63% of consumers either strongly (27%) or somewhat (36%) agreed that ads would reduce trust.
The major AI companies are taking noticeably different approaches to advertising. While Google and OpenAI are expanding their advertising initiatives, Anthropic and Perplexity have publicly expressed concerns about the impact advertising could have on user trust.
- Google initially introduced ads to its AI mode last year and has recently announced that it is testing new conversational ad formats in AI mode.
- OpenAI began testing advertising on ChatGPT with a select number of US advertisers in January. It is gradually expanding this pilot to more countries (including the UK) and to more advertisers. Along with launching a self-service ad manager (initially in the US) and improving its measurement tools, the company is introducing cost-per-click (CPC) ads to allow advertisers “to align their spend more directly with the actions people take after seeing an ad”.
- Anthropic has taken a clear stance against introducing ads to its Claude AI assistant, vowing to keep its AI conversations an ad-free zone: “Our users won’t see sponsored links adjacent to their conversations with Claude; nor will Claude’s responses be influenced by advertisers or include third-party product placements our users did not ask for.”
- AI search provider, Perplexity, initially experimented with advertising on its chatbot, but announced earlier this year that it is abandoning ad-based monetisation: “The challenge with ads is that a user would just start doubting everything . . . which is why we don’t see it as a fruitful thing to focus on right now.”
Conclusions
- AI chat/conversational assistants are rapidly becoming a discovery channel that consumers use to learn about products and services.
- These tools are helping lesser-known brands get noticed – those that people might never have come across otherwise.
- When they receive brand recommendations from AI, consumers tend to check the brands out on alternative channels (search engines, review platforms, Amazon, media and social mentions) to verify what AI is telling them. They also want the reassurance of seeing the multiple sources the AI tools pull information from (media articles, reviews, expert/influencer content, etc.).
- AI companies are gradually expanding advertising within their AI experiences. The research suggests that they will need to get the balance right if they want to maintain consumer trust in AI answers.
About the research
CloudNine PR commissioned a survey of 2,564 UK consumers through market research company TLF Research. 1,989 of the survey sample had used AI chat tools like ChatGPT. These AI users were asked about their attitudes to using AI for product discovery and to ads appearing in AI answers. The data was collected during April 2026.
Featured image photo by Saradasish Pradhan on Unsplash