Have we realised AI is changing how we search – and what we buy?

Basel Sayaf shares how we’re living through a quiet shift where AI is morphing from a helpful search engine to trusted decision-maker, which is reshaping advertising, retail, travel, local business and every consumer touchpoint.

You may not realise it yet, but artificial intelligence (AI) is already changing how you buy things, and fast. It’s not a future idea. It’s happening now. Once, you made buying decisions via friends, family, or scouring ten pages of search results. At the end of that lengthy process – that might take months at times – we would make our best guess and hit the buy button. Today, we ask artificial intelligence and let it choose. In many cases, we don’t bother second-guessing it.

Over the past year, Adobe reported that AI-driven referrals to retail and e-commerce websites exploded 12X, and visitors from those sources spend 41 per cent longer on the site and view 12 per cent more pages than standard traffic. That traction isn’t just noise; it’s trust in action. Artificial intelligence isn’t just the new word of mouth. It’s becoming our unspoken advisor, and as its influence grows, so does its commercial value.

Trusting a machine over your BFF? It’s happening

Trust isn’t earned overnight. It’s built, little by little, through a track record of getting things right. And nothing builds that track record faster than consistently good advice. That’s what artificial intelligence delivers. Need the best noise-cancelling headphones? A weekend getaway that ticks all your boxes? AI nails it often enough that people start coming back for more.

A recent Salesforce survey shows just how far this has gone. Sixty-two percent of consumers now trust AI recommendations as much as, or more than, the ones they get from friends or family. That’s huge. It means the authority your closest circle once held over what you watch, eat, or buy is now being shared with a machine. And in many cases, the machine is winning.

There’s a straightforward reason for that: AI can scan thousands of verified reviews, compare specs across dozens of sellers, check price histories, look at return rates, and read expert opinions, all in seconds. Your best friend can’t do that. A salesperson has their own goals. AI feels impartial, even if it isn’t always. And when it gets it right, when the product or service it recommends turns out to be exactly what you wanted, that trust sticks. The next time you need advice, you know exactly where you’re going.

AI as the amplified trust network

Think about word of mouth.

Now imagine it’s amplified millions of times over, refined, tailored, and delivered instantly. That’s what artificial intelligence is doing. Instead of a friend who recommends your favorite novel, AI scours global data, understands your reading history, and suggests “that new book with a 4.8 average, greatest similarity to your last ten reads.”

Picture this: you’re planning a trip to Tokyo. You ask, “Best sushi dinner under AED 400?” The AI instantly files through the latest reviews on trustable platforms, chef bios, and menu transparency, and recommends that spot, not because it’s sponsored, but because it fits you.

Trust builds. The next time you ask, you don’t check the restaurant’s site; you ask the AI again.

Sponsored AI recommendations: The new premium real estate

Web ads will feel old-fashioned soon. Traditional display and social media ads are cheap and broad, great for awareness, less effective when conversion matters. Artificial intelligence recommendations are like a smart guide, built to be super relevant with high intent baked in.

Data backs this up. Similarweb observed that click-through rates on AI-powered search tools are 2.5 times higher than traditional Google search ads. On top of that, conversion rates from AI chatbot traffic are already averaging 18–22 per cent, while typical e-commerce conversion rates hover at 2–3 per cent. That’s not just a stat, it’s a marketing revolution.

Expect sponsored slots inside AI recommendations to become the new ad gold. Imagine paying a premium because your product is not just seen but trusted and clicked every time.

When AI becomes your personal shopper

Soon, “Book me a hotel in Rome” won’t be enough. You’ll say, “Book the cheapest flexible fare to Rome, reserve me a boutique hotel with free Wi-Fi and a balcony under AED 800, and make a dinner suggestion in Trastevere.” Artificial intelligence will handle it all, from booking to confirmation, no human required. And most people will be totally okay with that.

Why? It’s not laziness, it’s efficiency. The best experiences are invisible, friction-free. Once AI proves you can trust it to handle complex tasks, inertia kicks in. Convenience, as always, is the boss. And as AI begins executing purchases, rather than just advising, the real buying power shifts behind the screen.

One day, not using AI could mean spending more, making less-informed choices, and missing out on opportunities.

That’s when platform power becomes a concern

In a world where decisions are increasingly delegated to artificial intelligence, providers of that AI effectively become the new gatekeepers. If you want to be booked or discovered, your product must feature prominently in the AI’s recommended set. Yet that visibility often comes at a steep cost, both financially and strategically.

As Bain & Company highlights, companies have seen website traffic drop by as much as 30 per cent, while visibility through generative AI sources has surged by a staggering 1,200 per cent between mid-2024 and early 2025. This dramatic shift underscores the growing dominance of AI in discovery and customer recourse.

In this landscape, smaller brands are especially vulnerable. Without the budget or resources to pay for placements, form strategic partnerships, or optimise content specifically for AI systems, they risk slipping into invisibility over the next few years.

Ultimately, the AI recommendation engine transforms into both the marketplace’s gatekeeper and trusted advisor. Whoever controls visibility at that level effectively controls the market, and holds extraordinary influence over consumer decisions.

We’re watching the beginning of a paradigm shift

Currently, artificial intelligence referrals make up less than 1–2 per cent of overall web traffic, with Google still holding the lead. However, the speed of AI’s growth matters more than its current market share. AI-driven platforms are rapidly improving and gaining influence in how consumers find products and services.

This fast growth signals a major shift in customer acquisition, as more businesses optimise for AI recommendations and search. Early adopters are poised to benefit significantly as AI takes a larger role in buying decisions, much like how Google transformed digital discovery years ago.

Watching these trends now helps businesses prepare for the future. Those who adapt early will receive more AI-driven traffic, while others risk falling behind as commerce moves toward AI-powered platforms.

Capturing attention in an AI-driven marketplace

We’re living through a quiet shift: Artificial intelligence is morphing from helpful search engine to trusted decision-maker. That’s going to change advertising, retail, travel, local business, and every consumer touchpoint.

Brands that rise with it, by being transparent, reliable, finely tuned for AI ecosystems will ride the wave.

To capitalise on this trend, businesses can optimise for AI search by creating concise, authoritative content that directly answers specific user queries while incorporating structured data like schema markup to boost visibility in AI summaries.

They should also focus on high-intent content, such as developing FAQ pages, localised resources, and niche guides that cater to AI’s emphasis on informational and targeted queries.

Monitoring AI visibility is key, so using analytics and monitoring tools can help track artificial intelligence traffic and brand mentions across various platforms.

Finally, diversifying traffic sources through an omnichannel approach allows for balancing AI-driven traffic with established channels.

By Basel Sayaf, Founder & Director at Jubna.com, Kalima.ai and Jawab.ai