Pew: 60% of Americans read AI summaries in search results

The Pew Research Center reported this week that 60% of U.S. adults have read AI-generated summaries at the top of search results, indicating a significant shift in how Americans access information online. Approximately 40% of adults now utilize AI chatbots as tools for finding information, a notable increase from about one-third in 2024, with roughly one in four using them daily. Searching for information emerged as the most common application for these chatbots, surpassing uses like entertainment, content creation, and seeking medical or fitness advice. Among employed adults, 38% reported using chatbots for job-related tasks. ChatGPT continues to be the dominant chatbot platform, with 44% of U.S. adults using it, an increase from 34% in the previous year. Google's Gemini ranked second in usage, with about 25% of adults employing it, followed by Microsoft's Copilot and Meta AI. Other platforms such as Grok, Claude, and Character.ai reported much lower adoption rates, with fewer than 10% of adults using each. The report highlights that men were slightly more inclined than women to read AI summaries, reporting 63% usage compared to 57%, while adults aged 65 and older were the least likely demographic to engage with these features.