Finding a plumber, an electrician, or a dog groomer used to mean scrolling through search engine results or asking a neighbor. That habit is changing fast. New survey data shows that nearly half of American consumers now turn to artificial intelligence tools when they need to find a local service provider, and the shift is happening at a pace few in the industry expected.
A sevenfold jump in a single year
According to BrightLocal’s 2026 Local Consumer Review Survey, a representative panel of 1,002 U.S. adults, 45% of consumers say they now use an AI tool to find a local business, up from just 6% a year earlier. That makes AI the third most-used source for local recommendations, trailing only Google and Facebook, and now ahead of long-established review platforms. Within that AI usage, ChatGPT leads adoption at 31%, followed by Google’s AI Mode at 23%.
The same research found that Google’s share as the top discovery platform for local businesses slipped from 83% to 71% over twelve months, a signal that the way people begin their search for everyday services is genuinely fragmenting, not just adding a new option on the side. It echoes a broader pattern already visible in this year’s wave of AI-driven consumer products, where assistants are increasingly positioned as the first point of contact rather than a search box.
Trust is growing, but so is a visibility gap
Consumers are not blindly following AI suggestions. The BrightLocal data shows that 97% of AI users still double-check recommendations against real reviews, and roughly six in ten say they trust AI advice as much as written feedback from other customers. That cautious-but-curious attitude mirrors what’s happening in other fields where algorithmic recommendations are gaining ground, from shopping to health, as seen in recent reporting on AI-assisted diagnostic tools that are also built on the premise of earning trust gradually.
The bigger problem is on the supply side. A separate analysis, SOCi’s 2026 Local Visibility Index, reviewed more than 350,000 business locations across 2,751 brands and found that ChatGPT recommended a given local business in only about 1.2% of relevant queries. Independent operators are the ones losing out: across the metro-category combinations studied, an estimated 78% of small, independent local service providers had close to zero visibility in AI-generated answers. The businesses that do get cited are overwhelmingly the same handful of national chains and large platform aggregators, repeated across almost every city and category.
What it means for local service businesses
- Being findable by search engines is no longer enough — AI assistants pull from structured data, review volume, and consistent listings across the web.
- Consumers increasingly expect a fast, conversational answer rather than a list of ten blue links, which rewards businesses with clear, up-to-date online profiles.
- National chains and aggregator platforms currently dominate AI answers, making it harder for independent local businesses to compete on visibility alone.
- Online reviews remain the backbone of trust: most consumers still verify AI suggestions against them before booking.
This isn’t limited to home repair trades. The same discovery habits are reshaping how people shop more broadly — a trend also visible in how regulators and platforms are adjusting to changing consumer purchasing patterns as online decision-making shifts away from traditional storefronts.
Questions fréquentes
How many people now use AI to find local businesses?
According to BrightLocal’s 2026 Local Consumer Review Survey, 45% of U.S. consumers now use an AI tool to find a local business, compared with 6% a year earlier.
Which AI tools are most used for local searches?
ChatGPT leads with 31% adoption for local business searches, followed by Google’s AI Mode at 23%, according to the same survey.
Are independent local businesses losing visibility to AI search?
Yes. SOCi’s 2026 Local Visibility Index found that roughly 78% of independent local operators studied had close to zero visibility in AI-generated recommendations, with national chains and platform aggregators dominating the results.
Sources
- BrightLocal — 2026 Local Consumer Review Survey
- Barchart — 45% of Consumers Use AI to Find Local Professionals
- MarketersMedia — What the AI Shift Changes for Local Businesses
This article was written with the help of artificial intelligence. Editorial policy
