In June 2025, we published an article highlighting that 90% of AI-driven traffic came from desktop. At the time, many users were using AI in a B2B setting or exploring how LLMs could support their workflows. However, by 2026, AI has evolved rapidly, becoming a new discovery layer and brand touchpoint.
Less than a year on, new data suggests that 83% of AI usage now happens in mobile apps globally. As user behaviour and the search and AI landscape continue to evolve, we are seeing the search environment expand to include LLMs within the search journey.
AI in 2025
In 2025, platforms such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini were primarily used for research and exploration. Users relied on these tools to compare options, deepen their understanding, and support decision-making. These behaviours closely aligned with mid-to-late funnel search activity, which has historically skewed towards desktop usage.
As a result, most measurable referral traffic from AI platforms to websites came from desktop devices.
AI in 2026
By 2026, AI platforms have become embedded across mobile environments, including messaging apps, operating systems, and browsers. This has led to a shift in user behaviour, with more frequent, shorter, and immediate interactions. As a result, mobile has become the dominant environment for AI usage. However, this does not mean desktop has become irrelevant. Instead, it reflects a shift in how different devices contribute to the search journey.
Mobile devices are now the primary interface for engaging with AI, particularly for early-stage queries and ongoing exploration. Desktop devices continue to play a key role in deeper research, validation, and conversion-focused activity. In practice, users frequently move between devices as part of a single journey.
What AI Changes Have Influenced User Behaviour?
One of the most significant changes is that AI is now embedded within the search journey rather than existing alongside it. Users increasingly begin their queries within AI platforms before moving to traditional search engines for validation and confirmation.
Another major development is the evolution of agentic AI. Agentic AI refers to systems that can take actions on behalf of users, rather than simply providing information. In a search context, this means that AI can now compare options, filter results, and present recommendations based on user needs. This reduces the number of individual searches required and fundamentally changes how users interact with information.
It is also important to recognise that AI has expanded the overall volume of search. Users are asking more questions, exploring more options, and engaging with information more frequently. Rather than replacing search, AI is increasing demand and adding complexity to the discovery process.
What This Means for SEO and GEO?
Traditional search remains a critical component of digital strategy. Search engines continue to drive the majority of web traffic and capture high-intent queries. AI platforms now sit alongside search, creating a broader and more fragmented ecosystem.
For SEO, this means the discipline is evolving. Brands must continue to invest in strong technical foundations, high-quality content, and authority signals. At the same time, they must consider how their content is surfaced and interpreted within AI platforms such as ChatGPT and Perplexity. GEO builds on SEO by extending visibility into these environments.
There is also a shift in how value is created. AI increasingly influences decisions before a user visits a website, meaning that visibility alone can shape outcomes. This requires marketers to think beyond clicks and consider how their brand appears within AI-generated responses.
Search is no longer a single platform or behaviour. It is becoming an ecosystem that spans traditional search engines, AI platforms, and multiple devices. With the continued development of agentic AI, parts of the search journey may occur without explicit queries or clicks.
What This Means for Irish Brands?
For Irish brands, the challenge is whether mobile or desktop drives the most traffic to your site. Instead, it is about how to adapt strategies to capture demand across both search and AI environments. This includes optimising for visibility, rankings, and presence within AI-generated answers. Success will depend on a brand’s ability to adapt to a more complex, multi-platform search ecosystem.
FAQs about AI usage trends and search behaviour
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AI has become more integrated into everyday digital activities, including mobile apps, browsers and search engines. People can now use AI to explore topics, compare options and ask follow-up questions. These developments create additional ways for consumers to discover brands, making visibility across traditional search and AI platforms increasingly relevant to marketers.
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Agentic AI can carry out multi-step tasks, such as researching options, comparing information and completing supported actions. This differs from AI systems that primarily generate answers to individual questions. For brands, it introduces another way consumers may discover and evaluate products or services. Google's AI Mode documentation explains how AI-powered search supports complex research and comparisons.
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Brands can monitor mentions in AI-generated answers, supporting website citations and visibility across a consistent set of relevant prompts. These insights can complement organic search traffic and conversion reporting. Google Search Central also recommends combining Search Console and Analytics data to understand search performance and subsequent website activity.
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Businesses can compare engagement and conversions across devices using analytics tools. Where users sign in, Google Analytics 4's User-ID feature can help connect activity across sessions and devices. However, reporting depends on implementation and available identifiers. Marketers should avoid assuming every customer journey can be tracked completely.
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Brands should maintain strong technical SEO, publish helpful original content and ensure important information is accessible to search engines. They can also monitor how their brand appears in relevant AI-generated answers. Google's AI search guidance confirms that established SEO practices remain relevant to AI-powered search, with no special markup required for inclusion.