Why AI Search Will Direct Trillions in User Spending

Key Takeaways:

By 2028, more website visits may come from AI systems serving answers than from human clicks on Google search results
Global commerce worth trillions each year currently flows through traditional search engines, and AI search is positioned to capture a growing share of this activity
AI-driven recommendations will increasingly guide which companies consumers trust and ultimately purchase from
Knowing your rank in AI search is critical because visibility determines whether your brand participates in this spending shift
FusionScore.ai was launched to track and improve AI visibility, helping companies adapt to this new era of search

Search engines have long served as a gateway to digital commerce. A consumer types “best running shoes,” sees a page of results, and clicks through to a brand or marketplace. This familiar flow underpins trillions of dollars in annual spending worldwide. What is changing now is the interface: instead of scanning lists of links, users are asking AI systems for direct recommendations. And increasingly, they will follow those recommendations straight to a purchase.

From Google Clicks to AI Answers

The potential scale of this change cannot be overstated. By 2028, more website visits may come from AI systems serving answers than from humans clicking on traditional Google results. If that forecast proves true, the flow of consumer spending that has long been mediated by search engines will shift toward generative platforms.

Google’s dominance in search monetization was built on this exact behavior. Users click ads or organic results, and billions in revenue follow. Now, if AI systems become the first stop for discovery, the companies those systems surface will inherit that purchasing flow. The search layer may still exist, but the bulk of commerce-driving clicks will be routed through AI platforms.

How Much Money Is at Stake

Consider this: global e-commerce sales exceeded $6 trillion in 2024, while trillions more in offline purchases are influenced by digital search. If AI systems capture even a fraction of the decision-making process that search engines control today, the dollar amounts at stake are enormous.

If 20 percent of online purchase journeys shift from Google search to AI recommendations by 2028, that could represent over $1 trillion in spending annually being guided by AI systems.
If, as some analysts suggest, AI systems become the primary entry point for product discovery, the number could be far higher, rivaling the role Google has played for the past two decades.

This is not about ad budgets being reallocated; it is about consumer dollars flowing differently because the discovery mechanism has changed. The companies that AI systems recommend will be the ones receiving that redirected spending.

Why AI Search May Be More Powerful Than SEO

AI search is arguably even more decisive than traditional SEO. In a Google search, multiple companies appear across several results pages. Even if a brand is not first, it might still capture traffic from the second or third listing. AI answers, however, compress the funnel. A single system might recommend three or four companies—or in some cases, just one. If your brand is not included in that set, you may never be considered.

That makes AI search rank more binary than Google’s hierarchy. Visibility is either high enough to secure inclusion, or it is effectively nonexistent. This concentrated dynamic means consumer spending will flow disproportionately toward the few companies surfaced by AI answers.

Real-World Impact on Businesses

For businesses, this shift changes the economics of customer acquisition:

Trusted recommendations: Consumers are more likely to follow an AI recommendation, treating it as curated and authoritative.
Reduced browsing behavior: With fewer links to scan, purchase decisions happen faster.
Winner-takes-most outcomes: Spending consolidates among the companies surfaced, while competitors outside that circle see fewer opportunities.

In practical terms, if a user asks an AI system for the best local Italian restaurant or the most secure payroll software, the answer could decide where their money goes. Multiply that across millions of queries every day, and AI-driven discovery begins to look like the primary engine of commerce.

Why Companies Must Track Their AI Rank

If billions in purchases are directed through AI systems, companies cannot afford to guess about their presence in those results. They need to know how often they are included, in what contexts, and how they compare to competitors. This is the new visibility metric: AI rank.

Just as companies once measured their position on page one of Google, they must now measure their presence in generative outputs. Without that knowledge, they risk being invisible to consumers who increasingly rely on AI answers to guide spending.

The Role of FusionScore.ai

FusionScore.ai was created in anticipation of this shift. It helps companies track how frequently they appear in AI-driven answers across leading platforms, providing the visibility required to compete. Rather than focusing only on search engine rankings, FusionScore.ai shows businesses how they are performing in the environments where future spending decisions will be made.

The launch of FusionScore.ai reflects a reality that is unfolding rapidly: the trillions of dollars once routed through Google search will increasingly flow through AI platforms. Companies that understand and improve their AI rank will be positioned to capture that spending, while those that ignore the shift may find themselves left behind.

Aside from his role as CEO of TMC and chairman of ITEXPO #TECHSUPERSHOW Feb 10-12, 2026, Rich Tehrani is CEO of RT Advisors and a Registered Representative (investment banker) with and offering securities through Four Points Capital Partners LLC (Four Points) (Member FINRA/SIPC). He handles capital/debt raises as well as M&A. RT Advisors is not owned by Four Points.

The above is not an endorsement or recommendation to buy/sell any security or sector mentioned. No companies mentioned above are current or past clients of RT Advisors. Rich Tehrani founded FusionScore.ai.

The views and opinions expressed above are those of the participants. While believed to be reliable, the information has not been independently verified for accuracy. Any broad, general statements made herein are provided for context only and should not be construed as exhaustive or universally applicable.

Portions of this article may have been developed with the assistance of artificial intelligence, which may have contributed to ideation, content generation, factual review, or editing