The next battle for product discovery may not happen on search engine results pages. It may happen inside AI assistants.
According to a new Adobe Express survey of 1,000 US marketers and business owners, most expect AI platforms, especially ChatGPT, to dominate product discovery within the next few years.
This article explores what that shift means for marketing power, platform economics, and brand trust.
Short on time?
Here’s a table of contents for quick access:
- Which AI platforms marketers believe will drive discovery in 2026
- How marketers think AI recommendation systems will rank products
- Trust, opportunity, and perceived risk in AI shopping
- Strategic implications for marketing leaders
Patrecia Meliana
Which AI platforms marketers believe will drive discovery in 2026
Marketers are already placing bets on which AI platforms will shape the future of product discovery.
The strongest signal points to ChatGPT. According to the survey, 66% believe it will drive product discovery by 2026. Google’s Search Generative Experience follows at 45%, while 26% point to Meta AI integrations across its platforms. Smaller but still notable segments expect influence from Microsoft Copilot at 15%, as well as TikTok AI features and Amazon’s Rufus, both at 12%.
This does not suggest a single winner. Instead, it signals fragmentation. Discovery power may be distributed across multiple AI interfaces rather than concentrated in one dominant search engine.
Marketers also anticipate a shift in consumer behavior. More than half, 54%, expect customers to use AI tools and traditional search equally within the next two years. Another 36% believe AI platforms will take the lead entirely, while just 10% expect traditional search to remain dominant.
In short, discovery is moving from search boxes to AI assistants. The interface is changing, and so is the competitive landscape.
Patrecia Meliana
How marketers think AI recommendation systems will rank products
Beyond platform predictions, marketers are trying to understand how AI systems will decide what to show.
The majority expect ranking decisions to be based on a mix of signals. About 35% believe AI tools will prioritize product relevance, customer reviews, and overall brand trust. Another 26% expect a balance between relevance and advertising spend.
Meanwhile, 14% anticipate largely pay-to-play dynamics, and 12% believe product fit alone will drive results. Only 3% cite strategic partnerships as the primary factor. This distribution reveals a market still unsure about how commercial influence will shape generative search.
That uncertainty is reflected in trust levels. While 38% trust AI platforms to fairly surface products regardless of ad spend, 23% do not. Marketers are optimistic, but cautious. They recognize the potential for fairness, yet remain aware that monetization models could shift visibility dynamics over time.
Atikah Amalia
Trust, opportunity, and perceived risk in AI shopping
Despite uncertainty, sentiment is largely positive.
Nearly half of respondents, 48%, view AI-driven shopping as an opportunity for their business. Only 9% see it as a threat. That imbalance suggests confidence in the upside potential of AI-powered discovery.
Trust is the more transformative variable. About 39% believe customers will trust AI-generated product recommendations as much as peer or influencer reviews.
If that expectation proves accurate, AI assistants will move beyond being search tools. They will become recommendation authorities.
When discovery becomes curated rather than manually searched, the assistant plays a stronger role in shaping consideration sets. Brands are no longer just competing for ranking positions. They are competing to be selected, summarized, and endorsed by AI systems that consumers increasingly rely on.
Strategic implications for marketing leaders
1. AI assistants may become the new gatekeepers
If 66% of marketers believe ChatGPT will drive product discovery by 2026, we are looking at a major shift.
In traditional search, consumers compare multiple visible results. In AI assistants, recommendations may be summarized and presented as direct suggestions.
That means the assistant shapes what the customer sees first, and sometimes what they see at all. Marketing Leaders need to understand how their brand is being represented inside these systems.
2. Strong reviews and relevance may matter more than pure ad spend
According to the survey, 35% believe AI tools will rank products based on a mix of relevance, reviews, and brand trust signals. While paid influence may still play a role, credibility appears to be central.
This shifts the focus from just bidding higher to building stronger product pages, better review ecosystems, and clearer product positioning. If AI tools prioritize clarity and trust, brands with better fundamentals may outperform brands with bigger budgets.
3. Consumer trust in AI recommendations is growing
Nearly 39% believe customers will trust AI recommendations as much as peer or influencer reviews.
If that happens, AI tools move from being search engines to becoming decision influencers.
That increases both opportunity and risk. Brands that are surfaced positively may benefit from built-in credibility. Brands that are summarized poorly may struggle to correct perception. Hence, monitoring how AI tools describe your brand will become increasingly important.
4. AI investment is becoming permanent
With marketing budgets for AI readiness expected to rise from 21% to 29% by 2026, this is no longer experimental spending. Companies are preparing for a future where AI-powered discovery is a core acquisition channel.
For Marketing Leaders, the real question is not whether AI will matter. It is how much control brands will retain as AI assistants play a bigger role in shaping product discovery.
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