Google and Bing’s AI Overviews now feature in a significant portion of US desktop search results, signalling a rapid evolution in how consumers find information and how brands are discovered online.
Google’s AI Overviews are now appearing in a sizeable share of US desktop search results, underlining how quickly generative search is changing how people find information. According to Comscore’s Q2 2026 AI Intelligence Report, AI Overviews showed up in 39.4% of Google searches in June, up from 25.8% in July 2025. Bing’s Copilot Search also expanded, reaching 17.3% from 11.8% over the same period, although Comscore stressed that its measure captures the share of searches that included AI experiences rather than the clicks or traffic those experiences may generate.
The broader search market has also remained resilient. Comscore said US desktop search volume reached 77 billion in the second quarter of 2026, up 8% from 71 billion in the same period two years earlier. That suggests AI features are reshaping the presentation of search, but not yet replacing search usage itself. The report also points to a shift in how brands are discovered, with AI assistants playing a growing role in product research and shopping journeys.
Comscore’s data shows that visibility inside AI-generated answers is uneven and highly dependent on the category. YouTube was the most frequently cited domain across entertainment, retail and financial services searches, while Wikipedia led in sports. Reddit also featured prominently, ranking near the top in several categories. In retail, YouTube appeared in 23% of searches among the report’s top AI Overview citations, followed by Amazon at 14%, Reddit at 12% and Wikipedia at 11%. Financial services results were less concentrated, with YouTube at 9% and NerdWallet, Reddit and Bankrate each at 7%.
The report also highlights a gap between being used as a source for an AI answer and appearing as a visible citation. In lodging-related AI responses, Tripadvisor was present as a source in 61% of cases but appeared as a cited link in only 21% of them. Hotels.com, Expedia and Booking.com showed similar gaps. Comscore’s earlier and related reporting suggests this is part of a wider shift in AI assistant behaviour: ChatGPT still led AI prompt volume in June, but its share fell to 50% from 70% in January, while Gemini rose to 30% and Claude climbed to 11%. AI assistant reach also continued to widen, with 35% of US desktop users and 29% of mobile users engaging with the category in June, up sharply from January 2025.
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