Marketers love to blame AI for everything that feels broken right now, but the truth hits harder: the impact of AI only accelerates trends that started years ago. Reddit surges, TikTok drives discovery, and people trust creators more than ads; these shifts happened long before ChatGPT. A new deep-dive analysis from search agency Rise at Seven shows just how messy and multi-platform the customer journey has become, and why last-click attribution now looks ridiculous. Harry Clarkson-Bennett, a veteran strategist, argues that AI simply shines a bright light on what smart marketers already knew: real connections beat algorithms, and human trust still rules.
Real Impact of AI: What Actually Changed (and What Didn’t)

Rise studied 1.5 billion searches across five platforms and uncovered eye-opening numbers:
- Customers touch up to 97 interactions and take 2 days to 10 weeks before they buy
- Google only owns 34.5 % of total search share
- YouTube (24 %), Instagram (20.9 %), and TikTok (16.7 %) together grab over 60 %
- The average buyer now uses 3.6 different platforms before purchasing
These stats prove discovery moved away from Google years ago. People see products on TikTok, watch reviews on YouTube, ask real humans on Reddit, then maybe Google the brand name at the very end. Yet most brands still give 100 % credit to that final click. The impact of AI? It makes this broken model impossible to ignore.
Across channels, the story stays the same:
- SEO & PPC: AI answers and zero-click results slash traffic; paid clicks drop 20-78 % when AI boxes appear
- Social: Fake content floods feeds, so users spend 10 % less time on platforms
- Creators: 90 % of marketers say creator content drives stronger engagement; 61 % of consumers trust creators more than brand ads
Also Read: Amazon Seller Statistics: Strategies for Your Journey
Clarkson-Bennett concludes that the impact of AI exposes the “enshittification” of the internet, platforms chase profit while quality crashes. The winners? Brands that know their audience deeply, partner with real creators, and build owned channels like email lists.
In short, AI didn’t break marketing. It just forced everyone to finally fix what was already cracking. Smart brands now invest in people, not just pixels.
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