Google Search Sees UK Decline, Users Express Low Trust In AI

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:

• Many users still prefer traditional search methods despite the rise of AI.
• Trust issues create both challenges and opportunities for content improvement.
• Different age groups affect how people accept and use AI in search.
• A successful strategy blends AI tools with established methods.

View AI search as an added layer rather than a replacement for current practices.

Focus on quality content and reliable information, optimizing for AI wisely where it adds value.

Methodology

The Online Nation 2024 report combines two main data sources:

Online Experiences Tracker:

• 7,280 UK internet users aged 13-84
• Fielded May-June 2024 via YouGov panel
• Standard demographic weighting applied

Ipsos iris Panel Data:

• Passive tracking of 10,700 UK adults
• Monitors actual device usage across mobile, tablet, and desktop
• Continuous measurement through May 2024
• Covers in-home and out-of-home usage

Worth noting: Some year-over-year comparisons, particularly around time spent metrics, may be affected by methodology updates. Apple News tracking began in October 2023, which impacts certain platform comparisons.

The data focuses on UK users, so global markets may show different patterns. All population estimates have standard margins of error.

Featured Image: William Barton/Shutterstock