The Answer Economy is Changing How People Search for Information Online

What Happened?

The way consumers use the internet to find information has undergone a significant change thanks to the rise of artificial intelligence programs. According to a 2025 study by Bain & Company, 80% of consumers now rely on AI summaries for at least 40% of their searches, reducing traditional website clicks by as much as 25%.

Leading search engine companies, including Google, are already leaning into the AI driven ‘answer economy.’ When you do a Google search now, the first thing to appear is an answer from Google’s AI engine, which will show up above any links on your screen. 

Why it Matters

The implications for business and commerce are potentially far reaching. If your company, product, or service doesn’t show up during an answer engine search, it means that you are invisible to potential customers. As John Werner of Forbes recently put it, ‘Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has been the cornerstone of digital visibility for decades. Now, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is emerging as its essential companion.’

Big tech companies are both participating in and driving this change. For example, Google’s AI Overview illustrates how the answer economy works. When users ask a question using Google, the first thing they see is the AI generated answer, followed by a listing of potentially useful links. But because the AI engine has gotten so good at providing answers, more and more users only read that after a search instead of clicking on the links that are listed.

To help businesses gain publicity and visibility with potential customers, digital ad agencies are beginning to offer new services such as AI readiness audits. AI search engines tend to prioritize information from trusted sources, though it is not always clear exactly how they determine what makes a source trustworthy. 

According to Pete Blackshaw of Brandrank.AI, the ‘answer economy’ means that search engines are moving away from providing information and towards providing users with answers. Where before a user might query about local restaurants and receive a list of potentials eateries on their screen, now they will get an AI generated answer about the best places to eat that are close by. More users are going with the AI answer instead of continuing to scroll down the screen for more links.

Companies that ignore this shift in how the internet is being used risk losing not only visits to their websites, but potential business as well. 

How it Affects You

For users the advantage of the answer economy is speed. Rather than scrolling through an endless list of links to explore after a search query, the AI answer already tells you what you wanted to know. Because leading AI engines like those provided by Google are both quick and accurate, more and more users are going with those results first.