Google Search’s market share in the UK weakened this year, with user reach dropping to 83% from 86%, according to Ofcom’s Online Nation report.
This decline comes as concerns grow over AI-powered search results, with only 18% of users confident in their accuracy.
The Rise & Fall of AI Search Adoption
Microsoft’s Bing gained popularity after adding ChatGPT in February 2023, peaking at 46% reach in the UK in April.
By May 2024, it settled at 39%, still above pre-AI levels.
This suggests the initial excitement about AI search tools is fading, and users are now more cautious with AI-generated results.
Trust Gap Emerges
Despite the widespread adoption of AI search features, trust remains a concern:
Only 18% of UK users believe AI search results are reliable
Younger users (ages 16-24) show marginally higher trust at 21%
A third of users express neutral confidence in AI-generated results
Men show higher confidence in AI search results than women
Demographics & Device Usage
The report reveals variations in search behavior across age groups and devices:
Google maintains 83% reach across smartphones, tablets, and computers
Google maintains 49% daily active users
Bing sees 39% reach, primarily driven by desktop users
Alternative search engines like DuckDuckGo show modest growth (3% reach)
Bing shows stronger performance among older users (43% of 65+ vs. 36% of 25-34-year-olds)
Mobile search dominates, with Google capturing 84% of mobile searches
Desktop usage remains stronger for traditional search engines like Bing and Yahoo
69% of UK online adults visit at least one search engine daily.
What This Means
As we approach 2025, search is changing with AI integration, but user trust remains essential.
Key points for search marketers and content creators include: