SKYWORD RESEARCH | June 2026

AI Is Already Shaping
How Your Buyers Decide

New research from Skyword reveals how consumers are using AI to research, evaluate and act on brand information — and what it means for enterprise marketers.

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52% use AI more frequently than they did a year ago
46% of full-time employed consumers have made a major decision based primarily on AI-generated information
47% have taken real action because of what an AI tool told them about a brand
THE LANDSCAPE

The Shift is Already Here

AI-assisted research is no longer an emerging behavior. It's how a growing share of consumers, including the high-value audiences enterprise marketers prioritize most, are gathering information, comparing options and making decisions.

52%

of consumers report using AI more frequently than they did a year ago. Among Gen Z, that figure rises to 67% — But adoption isn't limited to younger consumers.

46%

of full-time employed Americans have already made a major purchase or important decision based primarily on AI-generated information.

Consumers in households earning $100K+ are roughly 2.5x more likely to start their research with AI than those earning under $50K.

At the $200K+ income level, that gap approaches 4x.

household income chart

 

This is not a future trend. It's the environment your buyers are already operating in.

THE TRUST GAP

Using AI Doesn't Mean Trusting It

Growing AI usage has not translated into unquestioning confidence.

When AI-generated information conflicts with a brand's own messaging, consumers don't default to either source.

 

54% look to outside sources to compare

29% trust the brand's own information

12% trust the AI answer outright

Trust Gap Chart

Neither the brand nor the AI tool is automatically trusted. Consumers are looking for third-party signals of accuracy and authority. The brands that have built those signals will shape what buyers ultimately believe.

55%

of consumers say their top concern about AI-provided brand information is that it may be incorrect, reinforcing how important it is to have accurate, verifiable content in the places buyers look for confirmation.

THE STAKES

AI Information Is Driving Real Actions

The decisions consumers are making based on AI-generated brand information aren't minor. Nearly half of respondents have already taken meaningful action based on what an AI tool told them.

47%

have taken at least one significant action based on AI-generated information, such as avoiding a purchase, switching brands, warning others, or contacting a company.

19%

have avoided a purchase based on what AI told them about a brand.

17%

have switched brands because of AI-generated information

These are not passive research behaviors. They are decisions made, purchases lost and brand perceptions shaped by information brands often had no part in producing.

THE HIDDEN RISK

More AI Content Isn't the Answer

The most common marketing response to the AI content era is publishing more content, faster, using AI tools — but that carries its own risk with buyers.

30%

of consumers say they would be less likely to engage with or buy from a company if they suspected its content was AI-generated

86%

say companies should be required to disclose when content is AI-generated

For enterprise brands, this creates a real strategic tension. AI adoption is rising among the audiences you need to reach. But those same audiences are skeptical of AI-generated answers and AI-produced content alike. When they encounter uncertainty, they go looking for authoritative, third-party proof.

Volume is not the Answer.

Authority is.

THE GEN Z SIGNAL

Even Power Users Hold Brands Accountable

Gen Z consumers are the most active AI users in the survey, and they’re among the most demanding when the information falls short.

67%

report using AI more than they did a year ago

 

~1 in 3

say they have contacted a brand directly to correct something an AI tool said about it (nearly 2x the rate of the general population)

Frequent AI use doesn't mean blind trust. It means higher expectations. Consumers across every segment expect the information they find — wherever they find it — to be accurate, credible and consistent with what the brand actually stands for.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOUR BRAND
Buyer behavior has changed. Has your content strategy kept up? The brands that will win in this environment are the ones building content that earns authority across the sources buyers actually consult, not just their own channels.

If you're trying to understand how these shifts in buyer behavior are affecting your brand's presence and credibility in AI, we'd like to help.

Meet with a Skyword Expert

We'll discuss how AI is shaping your buyers' research journey and what a content authority strategy looks like for your organization.

SURVEY METHODOLOGY |

This survey was conducted by Dynata in April 2026 and included 1,000 online responses from U.S. adults aged 18 and older.

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Skyword is the enterprise content marketing agency with Accelerator360™, a patented AI platform that transforms your organization's genuine expertise into the content AI engines cite, buyers trust, and competitors cannot replicate. Paired with the Authority Ladder Framework and proprietary Category Authority Index™, Skyword helps enterprise marketers systematically build, benchmark, and prove brand authority in the AI-powered landscape.

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