Abstract

2025 marked the year AI search transitioned from experiment to default interface for 29-37% of global queries. ChatGPT captured 60-84% market share, while Gemini surged 300-400% YoY. Traditional search lost 10-20% traffic per user in key markets due to zero-click answers.

Brands saw average visibility drop 15-35% in AI responses without GEO adaptation. This report breaks down adoption, market size, platform performance, traffic shifts, and actionable implications for SaaS, e-commerce, and local brands.

1. Market Size and Growth Explosion

Global AI search engine market: $16-18.5B in 2025 to $18-21B in 2026 (CAGR 13-16.8%) to $50-66B by 2033
Generative AI overall: $37-43B in 2024 to $189-220B by 2030 (CAGR 28-37%)
Private AI investment: $109B in the US in 2024 (12x China); generative AI $33.9B globally (+18.7% YoY)
User adoption: 1.8-2B people use AI tools (16-29% of global population), 800-900M WAU on ChatGPT
AI search share: 8-15% of total search traffic in 2025, expected 25-62% by 2028-2030

Key takeaway: AI search is already a $15-20B market with exponential growth. Brands without a GEO strategy are losing share of voice.

AI Search Traffic Growth (YoY)

2. Platform Market Share and User Behavior (2025-2026)

Platform Market Share (mid-2025 to early 2026)

Platform	Market Share	WAU / MAU	Referral Growth YoY	Notes
ChatGPT	60-84%	800-900M WAU	+226-326%	Dominates, stabilizing
Google Gemini	13-31%	346-400M MAU	+388% (Sep-Nov 2025)	Fastest growth
Perplexity	6-8.6%	-	+15-370%	Accurate, losing share
Claude	2.9-5.6%	19M (Q3 2025)	+1180%	Enterprise growth
Copilot	4.5-15%	-	+2520% (low base)	Microsoft ecosystem

Zero-Click vs Click-Through

User Shifts

29-37% of Americans use AI for search weekly (up from 14% early 2025)
60-75% of local queries start in AI (not Google Maps)
Zero-click rate: 60-70% of queries end without a click
AI referral traffic: +527% YoY in select verticals

3. Impact on Brand Visibility and Traditional SEO

Traffic loss: Organic CTR in Google dropped 1.2-3.6 points even without AI Overviews
Zero-click reality: 60% of searches without a click means 20-50% traffic loss without GEO adaptation
SEO vs GEO: SEO optimizes ranking pages, GEO optimizes synthesis outcomes (entity clarity, trust, semantics)
Visibility drop: Average brand lost 15-35% in AI answers without fixes; top 10% gained +27-41%

Key takeaway: In 2026, visibility is not SERP position - it is citation and recommendation inside AI synthesis. Without GEO, brands become invisible even with top-3 Google rankings.

Visibility Drop (Before vs After GEO)

AVI Report Snapshot (Brand Redacted)

4. What Brands Should Do in 2026

Audit current AI visibility: run a free GEO scan to baseline AVI/ECS/TSD
Fix semantic gaps: add AI-facing summaries (Definition + Example + Benefits + How-to)
Build trust density: 10+ new reviews per month, case studies, featured-in page
Create comparison pages: /vs-competitor and /best-[category]-2026
Monitor continuously: weekly GEO-RUNs and alerts for drops over 10%

Expected lift: +180-420% recommendation rate in 4-10 weeks (eXAIndex case studies).

AI-facing summary

Definition
This 2025 market report analyzes AI search trends: adoption (29-37%), market size ($16-18B to $50-66B by 2033), platform shares (ChatGPT 60-84%), traffic shifts (zero-click 60-70%), and brand impact (visibility down 15-35% without GEO).

Example
A typical brand lost 18% in Gemini after the February update, while brands with trust density above 50 gained +34%.

Benefits
Understand why your brand disappears from AI answers
Prioritize the highest-leverage fixes (trust and semantic)
Prevent losses after model updates
Gain +20-40% visibility in 2-4 weeks

How to implement
Run a free GEO scan
Prioritize trust signals (reviews and citations)
Add AI-facing summary blocks
Set up weekly monitoring

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The State of AI Search in 2025: Market Report