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AI tools are reshaping how Australian consumers discover brands and products, but the technology is struggling to convert curiosity into purchases, with the vast majority of shoppers still turning to search engines, review sites and personal recommendations before committing to buy.
A nationally representative survey of 809 Australians, conducted by consumer insights platform, Ideally, has found that 50 per cent of respondents have used an AI platform such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Google AI Overviews to research a brand, product or service before buying.
Yet only 3 per cent would purchase from an unfamiliar brand based on an AI recommendation alone.
The findings paint a picture of a consumer landscape in transition, where AI is increasingly influential at the discovery stage of the purchase journey but has yet to earn the deeper trust required to drive transactions.
The shortlist effect
The research suggests AI is carving out a role as a shortlisting tool rather than a decision-maker.
When an AI assistant recommends a brand they have not encountered before, 52 per cent of Australians indicate they would search for it on Google before making a decision. A further 21 per cent would turn to review sites to verify the recommendation.
Trust data reinforces the gap. Asked which source they would rely on for a recommendation on a major purchase, just 6 per cent of respondents selected an AI assistant. That compares with 26 per cent for Google search results, 25 per cent for friends and family and 20 per cent for online reviews.
Ideally’s CEO, James Donald, described the dynamic as a fundamental shift in how discovery works.
“AI is starting to decide which brands make the shortlist, but consumers still want proof before they buy,” Donald explained. “That changes the purchase journey because discovery is becoming more fragmented, and brands need to earn trust across every surface a consumer checks next.”
Younger consumers willing to hand AI the keys
While Australians as a whole remain cautious about ceding decision-making power to AI, the research identified a notable generational divide.
Among 18 to 30-year-olds, 12 per cent indicated they would allow an AI agent to act entirely on their behalf, including automatically switching them to a cheaper provider without seeking approval first.
Across all age groups, just 4 per cent would permit that level of autonomy. A further 29 per cent would allow AI to act with their final approval, 33 per cent want to compare options themselves and 34 per cent do not trust AI with the decision at all.
The data points to a cohort of younger consumers who are becoming comfortable not just with AI-assisted research but with delegating the purchasing decision itself.
ChatGPT trails Google but leads social media
The shift toward AI-assisted research is gathering pace. More than a quarter of Australians, 27 per cent, report regularly using AI to research products or services, while a further 23 per cent have done so at least once.
When asked what they used the last time they researched a product or service before buying, 31 per cent nominated ChatGPT. That places it behind Google search at 66 per cent but ahead of social media at 24 per cent and review sites at 23 per cent.
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Usage is higher among younger demographics. ChatGPT was used by 54 per cent of 25 to 34-year-olds and 48 per cent of under-25s in their most recent product research.
The behaviour is also accelerating. Some 44 per cent of Australians report they are using AI platforms to research products or services more frequently than they were 12 months ago, with 16 per cent doing so at a notably higher rate.
Brands face a visibility challenge across multiple surfaces
The findings carry implications for how brands approach their marketing and communications strategies. With AI becoming another entry point into the purchase journey, the challenge is shifting from being visible in a single channel to managing how a brand appears across a fragmented information ecosystem.
“For brands, that means AI visibility cannot sit in isolation,” Donald noted. “You need to understand how you show up across AI platforms, search, reviews, earned media and other credible third-party sources because consumers are moving between all of them before making a decision.”
Ideally, which works with more than 250 brands and agencies across APAC and the US, is observing brands use consumer research to identify emerging questions and tensions in their category, then shape that into content and earned media designed to influence how they appear across multiple channels.
“The brands approaching AI visibility most effectively are starting with the customer,” Donald added. “They are working out what people actually want to know, where behaviours are changing and where there are gaps in the information available, then using original research to create credible content and earned media around those areas.”
AI influence set to grow
While the current data shows AI is influencing shortlists more than final purchasing decisions, the trajectory suggests its role will continue to expand.
“The speed of adoption tells us that it will keep shifting,” Donald observed. “Younger consumers are already showing a greater willingness to hand over more of the decision itself. For brands, the opportunity is to understand those changing behaviours early and build the credible information people, and increasingly AI platforms, use to make choices.”
As AI platforms draw on information published across the web to form answers and recommendations, original research and earned media are becoming increasingly important inputs into how brands build both visibility and credibility with consumers.
Last Updated on September 28, 2026 by Nick Ross
