AI is growing search, not replacing it
Google-commissioned Ipsos research from December 2025 surveyed people across 25 markets who use AI chat tools every week. Almost all of the frequent users were also frequent users of Google Search. People haven’t swapped one for the other. They use both, for different jobs.
The split shows up most clearly when money is on the line:
- Shoppers are 2.3x more likely to say they use Google Search for purchase decisions than ChatGPT.
- 99% of people who use ChatGPT to research products or services also check Google Search before they decide.
- 40% of consumers who use Google’s AI Mode for shopping say they now use ChatGPT less.
In practice, ChatGPT is often where people start thinking. Google is where they check, compare and act.
People come to Google to decide, not just to find
The old picture of search was a box where you typed a brand name, this is now hugely out of date in the way all of us search now. Google sees more than 5 trillion searches a year, and a growing share of them are open questions: queries with “where should I”, “which” and “ideas for” are rising, we've also discussed more "conversational search" behaviours too.
AI Overviews are now part of the decision
AI Overviews reach more than 2 billion people a month in over 200 countries and territories and 40 languages. For considered purchases, they speed things up. In Google/Ipsos research, 60% of potential lead gen customers who saw an AI Overview said it made deciding faster, easier and less overwhelming. Separately, 75% of users say AI Overviews and AI Mode help them make more confident decisions.
This is where GEO (generative engine optimisation) stops being a buzzword. When the answer is written by AI, the brands it draws on are the ones with clear, specific, trustworthy content it can cite.
What this means for your GEO and SEO strategy
Treat “being the best answer” as one job, whether the answer is organic, an AI Overview or an ad.
Build for comparison queries. “Which” and “where should I” searches reward pages that compare options honestly, including yours against alternatives, with prices in AED and specifics by emirate (if possible, depending on your business).
Cover the questions your sales team hears. Every repeated question from a lead is a query someone is typing. Answer it on your site in plain language that's easy for the reader to understand.
Keep entity signals consistent. Your business name, services, locations and reviews should match across your site, Google Business Profile and directories. Consistency is how AI tools decide who to trust.
Don’t abandon paid search. Ads are starting to appear inside AI search experiences (Google says these are still in testing). The brands with strong Search campaigns and good data will be first in line. Think probability too, if your site is ranking high on organic and paid, there's a higher likelihood you'll be found.
What matters specifically here in the GCC:
One honest caveat: the studies above are global averages across 25 markets and don’t sample the UAE directly. Treat them as direction, not gospel. Still, the direction fits what we see across GCC accounts. Audiences here are mobile-first, often bilingual, and research heavily in high-consideration categories like property, education, healthcare and financial services. Those are exactly the journeys where people check Google before they commit.
If your content only exists in English, or only answers “what” questions and never “which” questions, you’re leaving the decision stage to someone else.
The honest bottom line
ChatGPT changed how people start researching. It hasn’t changed where most of them go to decide. Google Search, now with AI Overviews and AI Mode, is still the decision layer. Brands that win in 2026 show up there as the clearest answer, both organically and in paid.
Where Push comes in
We run SEO, generative engine optimisation and paid search as one strategy, because in AI search they’re the same problem. If you’re not sure how visible you are in AI answers today, our AI marketing audit is the quickest way to find out.
FAQ:
Is ChatGPT replacing Google Search? No. Google-commissioned Ipsos research found 99% of people who research products in ChatGPT also use Google Search before deciding, and shoppers are 2.3x more likely to use Google for purchase decisions.
What is GEO? Generative engine optimisation is the practice of making your content easy for AI tools like AI Overviews, AI Mode and ChatGPT to find, understand and cite in their answers.
Do AI Overviews affect lead generation? Yes. 60% of potential lead gen customers who saw an AI Overview said it made their decision faster and easier, so being cited there shapes who gets the enquiry.
Want to know whether AI search recommends you or your competitors? Get in touch for a straightforward conversation.
Data sources: Google-commissioned Ipsos Global Consumer Journeys (Dec 2025, 25 markets); Google/Ipsos Vertical Consumer Journeys (Jul 2025, US); Google internal data (2025).
