Marketers like to blame AI for everything that feels broken right now, but the truth hits even harder: AI’s impact is only accelerating trends that started years ago. Reddit overvoltages, TikTok encourages discovery and people trust creators more than ads; These changes took place long before that ChatGPT. A new detailed analysis from search agency Rise at Seven shows how chaotic and cross-platform the customer journey has become and why last-click attribution now seems ridiculous. Harry Clarkson-Bennett, a veteran strategist, argues that AI merely shines a bright light on what smart marketers already knew: real connections beat algorithms and human trust still prevails.
Real Impact of AI: What Has Actually Changed (and What Hasn’t)
Rise examined 1.5 billion searches across five platforms and discovered eye-opening numbers:
- Customers touch up to 97 interactions and take 2 days to 10 weeks to purchase
- Google only owns 34.5% of the total search share
- YouTube (24%), Instagram (20.9%) and TikTok (16.7%) together reach over 60%
- The average buyer now uses 3.6 different platforms before purchasing
These statistics prove that the search function moved away from Google years ago. People look at products TikTokView reviews on YouTubeask real people on Reddit and you might end up Googling the brand name. However, most brands still give 100% credit to that last click. The impact of AI? It makes this broken model impossible to ignore.
Across all channels the story remains the same:
- SEO & PPC: AI answers and zero-click results reduce traffic; Paid clicks decrease by 20-78% when AI boxes are displayed
- Social: Fake content floods feeds, causing users to spend 10% less time on platforms
- Creators: 90% of marketers say content from creators leads to increased engagement; 61% of consumers trust creators more than brand ads
Also Read: Amazon Seller Statistics: Strategies for Your Journey
Clarkson-Bennett concludes that Impact of AI exposes the “deshittingification” of the internet, platforms chasing profit while quality plummets. The winners? Brands that know their audience intimately, collaborate with real YouTubers and build their own channels such as email lists.
In short, AI hasn’t broken marketing. It just forced everyone to finally fix what was already broken. Smart brands are now investing in people, not just pixels.
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