{"id":11094,"date":"2026-06-02T18:42:23","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T00:42:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/attentionmedia.io\/?p=11094"},"modified":"2026-06-02T18:42:23","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T00:42:23","slug":"can-marketers-navigate-ai-searchs-trust-cliff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/attentionmedia.io\/?p=11094","title":{"rendered":"Can marketers navigate AI search\u2019s trust cliff?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/martech.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/falling-off-navigating-a-cliff-difficult-situation-800x450.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"a group of marketers in business casual clothing trying to keep their balance on the narrow edge of a dramatic cliff. Some juggle laptops, analytics dashboards, email reports, social media icons, and AI chatbot windows while wobbling precariously. One marketer uses a measuring tape to gauge the distance to the edge, another desperately stacks marketing reports under a shaking foot, and another balances on a giant magnifying glass. The cliff face subtly resembles a jagged chart dropping downward.\" \/><\/div>\n<p>AI search has a big trust problem. Consumers use it to compare products, research vendors, and narrow their options, but many don\u2019t trust the answers they get.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Sixty-five percent of Americans used AI search in the past six months, yet only 15% said they trust it a lot, according to research from <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.yelp.com\/news\/americans-use-ai-but-dont-trust-it-thats-a-problem-worth-solving\/\">Yelp<\/a>.\u00a0 That\u2019s created a trust cliff. AI is gaining influence over buying decisions faster than consumers are gaining confidence in the technology.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure data-wp-context='{\"imageId\":\"6a1f3443419b0\"}' data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"6a1f3443419b0\" class=\"wp-block-image size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"379\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/martech.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-06-01-at-12.04.22-PM-800x379.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-409753\" \/><button class=\"lightbox-trigger\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Enlarge\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\" data-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\">\n<p>\t\t<\/p><\/button><\/figure>\n<p>The shift creates a new challenge for marketers. Consumers may distrust AI, but they still use it to compare products, research vendors, and narrow their options. Brands increasingly find themselves judged by recommendations they do not control.<\/p>\n<p>Sherry Smith, president of retail media at Criteo, said AI is already changing how shoppers evaluate products.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re seeing consumers use AI for product comparison,\u201d Smith said. \u201cIt\u2019s becoming part of the discovery process and how shoppers compare prices.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Trust is a problem for B2B, too <\/h2>\n<p>And it\u2019s not just happening in retail.<\/p>\n<p>In B2B software buying, 53% of buyers said AI search made software research more productive than traditional search, according to G2\u2019s \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/learn.g2.com\/g2-2026-ai-search-insight-report\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2026 AI Search Insight Report<\/a>.\u201d The report emphasizes how drastically this changes the discovery phase:<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0\u201cBuyers who once needed weeks to compare vendors can now use their favorite AI chatbot to get a usable synthesis in minutes. And, they don\u2019t just start with a prompt. They leverage chat to run comparisons, and ultimately, to decide.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"528\" src=\"https:\/\/martech.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-06-01-at-12.03.08-PM-800x528.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-409751\" \/><\/figure>\n<p>In many cases, buyers now encounter AI recommendations before they encounter the vendor\u2019s marketing.<\/p>\n<p>The trust gap is harder to ignore because AI is pushing buyers to make decisions much faster.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe shopping journey is becoming shorter,\u201d Smith said. \u201cIt\u2019s less linear and more decision-driven. When shoppers arrive from these environments, they\u2019re getting closer to that final choice.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Fewer opportunities for marketers<\/h2>\n<p>That means the loss of opportunities to shape the buying journey. Instead of moving from homepage to category page to product page, shoppers increasingly arrive at the point of decision.<\/p>\n<p>It also changes where that first interaction happens.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur research shows that 70% of AI-referred users land on product detail pages,\u201d Smith said. \u201cWe need to make those pages as strong as possible because, for many referred visitors, that\u2019s their first interaction with the brand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For years, marketers treated product pages as the last step before conversion. AI is turning them into the new front door. Now, for a growing number of shoppers, the product page is doing the job the homepage used to do.<\/p>\n<p>Three-quarters of Americans would lose trust in AI shopping results if those results were sponsored, according to Quad\/Graphics\u2019 report <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quad.com\/engage\/return-of-touch-press-kit\">\u201cThe New Rules of Retail Trust in the Age of AI.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<figure data-wp-context='{\"imageId\":\"6a1f3443423ac\"}' data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"6a1f3443423ac\" class=\"wp-block-image size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"139\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/martech.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-06-01-at-12.01.10-PM-800x139.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-409750\" \/><button class=\"lightbox-trigger\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Enlarge\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\" data-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\">\n<p>\t\t<\/p><\/button><\/figure>\n<p>That\u2019s why the trust cliff matters. Consumers may rely on AI recommendations, but many still question whether those recommendations serve the shopper, the platform, or the advertiser.<\/p>\n<p>The question, then \u201cAre we building experiences that earn and deserve consumer trust?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Smith compares today\u2019s AI adoption curve to the early days of social commerce.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShoppers need time to get comfortable and confident with AI,\u201d she said. \u201cWe saw the same pattern with social media. People still trust retailers and familiar shopping environments, but confidence will grow over time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.semrush.com\/lp\/semrush-one\/en\/?utm_campaign=ic_semrush_one&amp;utm_source=searchengineland.com&amp;utm_medium=overlay&amp;onboarding=off\" target=\"_blank\"><\/a><\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"headline-responsive\">\n        Your customers search everywhere. Make sure your brand <span>shows up<\/span>.\n      <\/div>\n<p>\n        The SEO toolkit you know, plus the AI visibility data you need.\n      <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n      <span>Start Free Trial<\/span>\n    <\/div>\n<div>\n<div>Get started with<\/div>\n<p>      <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/11\/semrush-one.webp\" alt=\"Semrush One Logo\" \/>\n    <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Smith argues that trust grows when AI feels helpful rather than intrusive.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBrands have an opportunity to create moments of serendipity,\u201d Smith said. \u201cIf a retailer understands what a shopper came for and can recommend something genuinely relevant, that feels personal and helpful rather than intrusive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The trust cliff is not a future problem. Consumers already rely on AI to shape decisions, compare options, and narrow choices. The brands that win will be the ones that turn AI visibility into consumer confidence.<\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/martech.org\/can-marketers-navigate-ai-searchs-trust-cliff\/\">Can marketers navigate AI search\u2019s trust cliff?<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/martech.org\/\">MarTech<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>AI search has a big trust problem. Consumers use it to compare products, research vendors, and narrow their options, but many don\u2019t trust the answers they get.\u00a0 Sixty-five percent of Americans used AI search in the past six months, yet only 15% said they trust it a lot, according to research from Yelp.\u00a0 That\u2019s created &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/attentionmedia.io\/?p=11094\" class=\"more-link\">Read more<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Can marketers navigate AI search\u2019s trust cliff?&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11094","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"featured_media_urls":{"thumbnail":["https:\/\/martech.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-06-01-at-12.04.22-PM.png",0,0,false],"medium":["https:\/\/martech.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-06-01-at-12.04.22-PM.png",0,0,false],"medium_large":["https:\/\/martech.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-06-01-at-12.04.22-PM.png",0,0,false],"large":["https:\/\/martech.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-06-01-at-12.04.22-PM.png",0,0,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/martech.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-06-01-at-12.04.22-PM.png",0,0,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/martech.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-06-01-at-12.04.22-PM.png",0,0,false],"inspiro-featured-image":["https:\/\/martech.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-06-01-at-12.04.22-PM.png",0,0,false],"inspiro-loop":["https:\/\/martech.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-06-01-at-12.04.22-PM.png",0,0,false],"inspiro-loop@2x":["https:\/\/martech.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-06-01-at-12.04.22-PM.png",0,0,false],"portfolio_item-thumbnail":["https:\/\/martech.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-06-01-at-12.04.22-PM.png",0,0,false],"portfolio_item-thumbnail@2x":["https:\/\/martech.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-06-01-at-12.04.22-PM.png",0,0,false],"portfolio_item-masonry":["https:\/\/martech.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-06-01-at-12.04.22-PM.png",0,0,false],"portfolio_item-masonry@2x":["https:\/\/martech.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-06-01-at-12.04.22-PM.png",0,0,false],"portfolio_item-thumbnail_cinema":["https:\/\/martech.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-06-01-at-12.04.22-PM.png",0,0,false],"portfolio_item-thumbnail_portrait":["https:\/\/martech.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-06-01-at-12.04.22-PM.png",0,0,false],"portfolio_item-thumbnail_portrait@2x":["https:\/\/martech.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-06-01-at-12.04.22-PM.png",0,0,false],"portfolio_item-thumbnail_square":["https:\/\/martech.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-06-01-at-12.04.22-PM.png",0,0,false]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/attentionmedia.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11094","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/attentionmedia.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/attentionmedia.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/attentionmedia.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/attentionmedia.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11094"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/attentionmedia.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11094\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/attentionmedia.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11094"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/attentionmedia.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11094"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/attentionmedia.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11094"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}