Key stat: Nearly two-thirds of worldwide marketers (64%) say reduced use of traditional search engines like Google will be the top AI-driven shift impacting digital advertising over the next few years, according to a September 2025 survey from Funnel and Ravn Research.

Beyond the chart:

• The shift is already underway. Daily AI search users in the US more than doubled from 14% to 29.2% between February and August 2025, according to an August 2025 report from HigherVisibility.
• Meanwhile, traditional search is showing cracks even without AI interference. Google search clickthrough rates dropped for both paid (3.6 points) and organic (1.2 points) results from October 2024 to September 2025 when AI overviews were absent, according to a November 2025 report from Seer Interactive.

Use this chart: Show this to leadership when discussing search diversification timelines. Use it to frame AI search as an emerging consideration, not an urgent pivot. Marketers see the shift coming, but Google still commands the lion's share of search traffic today.

Related EMARKETER reports:

• Generative Engine Optimization in 2026 (EMARKETER subscription required)
• Top Trends to Watch in 2026 (EMARKETER subscription required)

Methodology: Data is from the December 2025 Funnel report titled "The 2026 Marketing Intelligence Report" conducted by Ravn Research. 238 in-house marketers and agency professionals were surveyed worldwide during July-September, 2025. Respondents represented a mix of company sizes, industries, and roles, with 51% at marketing/advertising agencies or consultancies, and 49% at in-house marketing teams. 51% of respondents were based in Europe, 31% in North America, 10% in Australia/Asia, and 8% in other regions. Funnel is a marketing data platform.