AI assistants close in on search engines as India's online discovery habits shift: YouGov

AI assistants have become a part of how Indians search for information online, with adoption running well ahead of most other major markets, according to a new report by YouGov.

The India Web Search and AI Report 2026, based on surveys of more than 950 online searchers conducted between April 21 and May 29, 2026, shows search engines remain the most widely used channel, used by 65% of online searchers in the past 30 days. AI assistants and chatbots are close behind at 57%, ahead of social media, video platforms and maps.

A daily habit

Two-thirds of Indians, or 66%, look for information online at least once a day, including 43% who do so six or more times daily, the report found. Smartphones dominate, with 76% saying they most often use a phone to search.

Among online searchers, 89% now qualify as AI searchers, defined as those who start new queries with an AI assistant, putting India at the top of the 19 markets surveyed alongside Indonesia and the UAE, and well ahead of the US, at 48%.

Answer engine, not a replacement

AI assistants function less as a replacement for search engines and more as companions within a broader search journey, the report said. Only 27% of AI searchers describe an AI assistant as their starting point, while 36% use it after trying other forms of search, and 26% go back and forth between AI and other sources. The leading uses are directly answering a question, cited by 49%, verifying information from elsewhere at 44%, and summarising or comparing information, both at 43%.

Growth is evident too. Three-quarters of AI searchers say they have been using AI assistants for more than a year, including 39% who say much more. Two-thirds of online searchers expect to use AI assistants more over the next 12 months, with only 11% expecting to use them less or not at all.

Trust is strong, but proof still matters

AI assistants rank third for trust among the sources tested, with 69% of online searchers saying they trust information from an AI assistant, behind only maps and navigation apps and search engines, both at 75%. Asked what would most increase their trust, 18% pointed to the answer coming from official sources, the single strongest signal, followed by seeing multiple sources side by side at 15%.

Opinion on personalisation is split. While 29% of online searchers are comfortable with AI assistants using their data to tailor answers, a further 28% say they are comfortable only if they can easily control or turn the feature off.

A race to combine speed with proof

Edward Hutasoit, General Manager, YouGov India & Indonesia, said in the report's foreword that "AI assistants are changing that pattern by offering answers directly, rather than simply pointing people toward where answers might be found."

He added that "the central challenge is not whether Indians trust AI at all," since AI assistants already hold a strong trust position among online searchers, but rather how that trust becomes durable enough for AI to play a more central role in the search journey.

Consumers, he said, still rely on multiple sources and other signals to judge credibility, and "the future of search in India may therefore be less a battle between links and answers than a race to deliver both: fast, useful responses backed by visible proof."