Gen Z consideration for Claude and OpenAI nearly doubles, YouGov finds
What this answers
- Do Gen Z consumers trust AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Claude?
- Consideration is rising fast — YouGov found Gen Z consideration of Claude nearly doubled to 28.1% and of OpenAI to 22.1% in Q2 2026 — but only 28% of Americans overall say they trust AI assistants for answers.
- How does trust in AI assistants compare to trust in search engines?
- YouGov found just 28% of Americans trust AI assistants for answers, a 42-point gap behind trust in traditional search engines.
Gen Z consideration of Claude climbed from 14.2% to 28.1% and of OpenAI from 10.1% to 22.1% between Q1 and Q2 2026, per YouGov BrandIndex data reported by Search Engine Journal. ChatGPT and Google Assistant also rose, to 25.4% and 15.8% consideration respectively, but only 28% of Americans say they trust AI assistants for answers — a 42-point gap behind trust in traditional search engines, YouGov said.
Why it matters: Consideration for AI assistants is outrunning trust in them, a gap GEO strategies built on visibility alone won't close.
The record: AnthropicOpenAIChatGPT
Posted to the wire August 7, 2026. Edited by Joe Balewski.