Search platforms are changing the Web, and changing how people find information. YouTube and Reddit are placing AI search results at the top of pages. The entries are often summaries of the information on the page, and frequently offer links to the sections of the page with the information.
The Rise of AI-Powered Search
The introduction of AI by the major search engines has not affected overall search queries. U.S. search queries on desktops increased by 8%, from 71 billion in Q2 2024 to 77 billion in Q2 2026.
YouTube and Reddit Dominate AI Citations
Studies by Comscore showed that for Q2 2026,AI search results for queries on Bing and Google showed that for retail related queries, AI summaries cited YouTube 23% of the time. Other results showed citations for Amazon and Reddit, and other related sites. AI summaries for financial related queries, showed citations for YouTube at 9% and NerdWallet and other financial sites.
While AI summaries are frequent, the report measured the share of searches that included these AI experiences, but did not measure clicks or traffic generated by them.
Entertainmeent & Sports
YouTube led entertainment-related queries, with Wikipedia leading query responses for sports. Throughout the analysis, Reddit represented the 3rd most cited domain for queries related to entertainment, and the 5th most cited domain for queries related to sports.
The Visibility Gap: Sources vs. Citations
The data illustrates that while a given source may have been utilized by an AI to generate an answer, that source may not have been cited, and may not even be visible to the user. During the period between December 2025 and May 2026, for searches related to lodging and hotels, AI assistants often used behind-the-scene data to formulate answers without publicly disclosing the source.
- For answers related to lodging, Tripadvisor was the 2nd most utilised source (behind Google Maps) at 61% and the 2nd most cited at 21%.
- For answers related to hotels, Hotels.com was the 3rd most utilized source (behind Google Maps and Tripadvisor) at 50% and the 4th most cited at 18%.
- For answers related to flights, Expedia was the 2nd most utilized source (behind Google Flights) at 46% and the 3rd most cited at 16%.
- For answers related to lodging, Booking.com was the 3rd most utilized source (behind Google Maps and Tripadvisor) at 33% and the 4th most cited at 9%.
AI Assistant Market Share Shifts
The use of AI assistants is likely to accelerate, and the market is expected to experience a significant shift away from Google.
While growth of users adopting AI assistants has continued, with 35% of desktop and 29% of mobile users in the U.S. employing one in June (compared to 25% and 12% in January of this year), who is employing which assistant has changed.
- In June, ChatGPT accounted for 50% of all prompt requests, compared to 70% in January.
- Google's Gemini, launched in January, accounted for 30% of all prompt requests in June.
- Anthropic's Claude accounted for 11% of all prompt requests in June.
- Microsoft's Copilot accounted for 5% of all prompt requests in June.
Strategic Takeaway
Brands and publishers should take heed of the new ways users interact with digital content. The traditional means of controlling content and digital asset visibility have changed. The two variables that control content visibility are: being identified by search engines as a reliable source from which AI can retrieve and synthesize information; and controlling the means by which content is attributed and cited.Search platforms are changing the Web, and changing how people find information. YouTube and Reddit are gaining citation visibility in AI search results as ChatGPT loses prompt share to rivals. The entries are often summaries of the information on the page, and frequently offer links to the sections of the page with the information.
The Rise of AI-Powered Search
The introduction of AI by the major search engines has not affected overall search queries. U.S. search queries on desktops increased by 8%, from 71 billion in Q2 2024 to 77 billion in Q2 2026.
YouTube and Reddit Dominate AI Citations
Studies by Comscore showed that for June 2026, AI search results for queries on Bing and Google showed that for retail related queries, AI summaries cited YouTube 23% of the time among the top listed AI Overview citations. Other results showed citations for Amazon at 14%, Reddit at 12%, and Wikipedia at 11%. AI summaries for financial related queries showed citations for YouTube at 9%, while NerdWallet, Reddit, and Bankrate each appeared in 7%.
While AI summaries are frequent, the report measured the share of searches that included these AI experiences, though it did not measure clicks or traffic generated by them.
Entertainment & Sports
YouTube led entertainment related queries, with Wikipedia leading query responses for sports. Throughout the analysis, Reddit represented the 3rd most cited domain for queries related to entertainment, and the 5th most cited domain for queries related to sports.
The Visibility Gap: Sources vs. Citations
The data illustrates that while a given source may have been utilized by an AI to generate an answer, that source may not have been cited, and may not even be visible to the user. During the period between December 2025 and May 2026, for searches related to lodging, AI assistants often used behind-the-scene data to formulate answers without publicly disclosing the source.
- For answers related to lodging, Tripadvisor appeared as a source link in 61% of the responses and appeared as a cited link in only 21%.
- For answers related to lodging, Hotels.com had 50% source presence but 18% citation presence.
- For answers related to lodging, Expedia went from 46% source presence to 16% citation presence.
- For answers related to lodging, Booking.com went from 33% source presence to 9% citation presence.
AI Assistant Market Share Shifts
The use of AI assistants is likely to accelerate, as ChatGPT loses prompt share to rivals.
While growth of users adopting AI assistants has continued, with 35% of desktop and 29% of mobile users in the U.S. employing one in June 2026 (compared to 25% and 12% in January 2025), who is employing which assistant has changed.
- In June, ChatGPT accounted for 50% of all prompt requests, compared to 70% in January.
- Google's Gemini accounted for 30% of all prompt requests in June, up from 17%.
- Anthropic's Claude accounted for 11% of all prompt requests in June, up from 2%.
- Microsoft's Copilot held at 5% of all prompt requests.
Strategic Takeaway
Brands and publishers should take heed of the new ways users interact with digital content. The traditional means of controlling content and digital asset visibility have changed. The two variables that control content visibility are: being identified by search engines as a reliable source from which AI can retrieve and synthesize information; and controlling the means by which content is attributed and cited.
Citations
- Comscore Q2 2026 AI Intelligence Report (comscore.com)
- Financial Technology Today: When Consumers Ask AI About Your FinTech (financialtechnologytoday.com)
- GlobeNewswire: Comscore AI Intelligence Report Press Release (globenewswire.com)