77% of U.S. adults use AI answer engines, Hoverboard survey finds

Hoverboard AI says a new survey of 1,097 U.S. adults shows AI answer engines are now part of everyday search, shopping and major-life decision making. The findings suggest brands and marketers need to compete for visibility across multiple AI platforms, not just traditional search.

Why it matters: - AI answer engines are moving from novelty to a real research channel for U.S. consumers. - Nearly half of respondents said they use AI for expensive purchases or major life decisions, raising the stakes for brands in search, shopping and service discovery. - The shift could change how consumers evaluate health, finance and legal information, where trust and accuracy matter most.

What happened: - Hoverboard AI released The 2026 AI Answer Engine Trust & Search Behavior Report on August 14, 2026. - The survey covered 1,097 U.S. adults ages 18 to 65. - Respondents were asked about how they use and trust ChatGPT, Google Gemini and other AI answer engines. - 77% of respondents said they use at least one AI answer engine. - 49% said they use AI answer engines to research expensive purchases or major life decisions. - 43.8% of AI users said they use the tools for shopping and product decisions.

The details: - More than 64% of respondents said they use ChatGPT, compared with 50% for Google Gemini. - Among respondents who trust at least one AI platform, 59.9% named ChatGPT their most trusted for important life decisions. - In that same group, 20.3% named Google Gemini as most trusted. - More than 53% said they trust AI answer engines more than they did one year ago. - Fewer than 16% said their trust has declined over the past year. - AI answer engine usage reached 92% among households earning $150,000 or more. - Usage was 70% among households earning $50,000 to $74,999. - 56.8% of respondents expressed confidence in AI’s accuracy for health-related decisions. - 46.3% said they were likely to rely on AI for financial research and advice. - 46.6% said they would trust AI for accurate legal information. - Respondents used an average of 2.3 answer engines. - The survey ran between April and June 2026. - The approximate margin of error for full-sample figures is plus or minus three percentage points at a 95% confidence level. - The results are self-reported and meant to show directional behavior, not audited platform usage. - The full report is available here. - Hoverboard AI says it tracks millions of prompts and answer engine responses across ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI Mode, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity and other AI models.

Between the lines: - The findings suggest search behavior is fragmenting across traditional search, reviews and AI-generated answers. - Google Search remains the most widely used research channel for major decisions, but AI answer engines are now part of the path for nearly half of respondents. - Brands that optimize for visibility across multiple answer engines may have an advantage as consumers spread attention across several models. - The average of 2.3 answer engines per respondent points to a multi-platform discovery environment, not a winner-take-all shift.

What's next: - Marketers and business owners are likely to face more pressure to measure visibility across more than one AI platform. - Hoverboard AI positions its analytics tools as a way to track how brands are mentioned, cited and framed in AI results. - The company says its platform covers ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI Mode, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity and other models. - Hoverboard AI's broader announcement and company information are available here.