Key stat: AI assistants rank last among trusted sources for shopping recommendations, named by just 23% of US shoppers, according to an April survey from Profitero. Family and friends and professionals like doctors rank the highest.

Beyond the chart:

• Stated trust and actual influence are two different things. Social media creators and AI now hold more sway than doctors over decisions about diet, nutrition, supplements, and longevity, according to a March survey of global consumers from Edelman.
• Meanwhile, someone ends up cleaning up the difference. Nearly 9 in 10 physicians, 89%, say they have had to correct false or misleading information about supplements that patients found online, per a Tebra survey, and about 75% report patients choose supplements on their own or from online sources rather than with professional guidance.

Use this chart: Drop this next to your AI commerce roadmap to separate adoption from credibility. Show it to teams treating assistant answers as endorsements. Use the 67/23 gap to argue that human and expert proof still carries the recommendation, even when the query starts in a chatbot.

Related EMARKETER reports:

• Generational Shopping Trends 2026 (EMARKETER subscription required)
• Tech Trends H1 2026 (EMARKETER subscription required)

Methodology: Data is from the July 2026 Profitero report "Digitally Influenced Shopper Report 2026 - US." 1,000 US shoppers ages 18+ were surveyed during April 2026. Respondents were a nationally representative sample of US primary or joint household purchase decision-makers.