Yext predicts AI will redefine online discovery by 2026

Yext has forecast a shift in online discovery in 2026 as more consumers use AI search tools and report growing trust in AI-led recommendations.

The digital presence company said its research indicates that 40% of UK consumers already use AI search at least once a day. It also reported that 62% of global consumers now trust AI to guide brand decisions.

Yext said behaviour is changing as more people use AI systems to find local products and services. It reported that 68% of people globally have used AI platforms such as ChatGPT for that kind of research. It added that 75% of global users said they use AI search tools more than they did a year ago.

Discovery shift

Yext said AI-generated summaries and recommendations will increasingly replace lists of links in search results and other discovery experiences. The company said this would change how brands approach websites, search visibility and the information they publish online.

The company described a move away from brands competing mainly for clicks. It said brands will instead focus on being included in AI-driven actions. It cited examples such as personalised recommendations, purchases and bookings. It also pointed to AI embedded in physical environments.

Sam Davis, Senior Director of Solutions Engineering, EMEA at Yext, said embedded AI would widen the reach of tailored recommendations beyond phones and laptops.

"We're used to hyper-personalisation on our screens but in the coming years we may see tailored recommendations everywhere we go because of embedded AI," said Sam Davis, Senior Director of Solutions Engineering, EMEA, Yext. "Imagine walking into a hotel room after checking in, or stepping into your car, and embedded LLMs conversing with you based on what it knows about your personal preferences, location and needs at that exact time."

Trust gap

Yext said the change in discovery depends on consumer trust in AI outputs. The company said the gap between trust in AI tools and trust in traditional search engines is narrowing in the UK. It reported that 38% of UK consumers now trust AI tools, compared with 50% for traditional search engines.

Yext said brands will need tighter control over how they publish and manage information as AI systems generate summaries and recommendations. The company said consumer trust will depend on verifiable facts and clarity around how content gets produced.

"From the perspective of AI generated content used by brands in written collateral, it's important the brand builds trust with their end audience. If AI helped write branded content or updated some information, brands must say so. Control and verifiable facts will drive faster adoption of AI," said Davis.

Websites role

Yext said websites will continue to matter, but it expects many consumer journeys to change. It said websites will increasingly function as a backend data source for AI systems rather than the main destination for users.

That shift puts pressure on the underlying quality and structure of information, according to Yext. The company said unstructured web pages make it harder for AI systems to interpret and reuse accurate information across experiences.

"For years, brands have approached authoring a website with a "content as pages" mindset. Now they need to adopt "content as entities". Why? Because AI desires structured data and understands linked-entity relationships. This is why a Knowledge Graph such as Yext's is critical in this new content approach," said Davis.

Yext said it expects brands to place more emphasis on structured and verified knowledge as AI use becomes more mainstream. It said that approach will influence what AI systems recommend, cite and act on as discovery moves further towards AI-led interactions in 2026.