The digital ecosystem is transforming: AI is coming alongside search, not replacing it

“Generative artificial intelligence is not simply a new technology, but has become a core function that determines what users expect from digital experiences – including banking”

– said Gergely Lóska, Head of IT and Innovation at K&H, in response to the research. “The development of K&H’s digital financial assistant, Kate, is also heading in this direction: now she not only answers questions, but also helps proactively and performs more and more processes in the background. In the future, everyone will have their own, personalized financial assistant – and the technology will remain unnoticeable, while the experience becomes more natural.”

Generative AI’s explosive growth is reshaping online search and digital behavior

According to Similarweb’s 2025 AI Report, generative AI is spreading faster than ever:

AI chatbot traffic grew 76% in a single year, AI mobile app usage increased sevenfold, ChatGPT rose to the top five most visited websites in the world at an unprecedented rate, 95% of ChatGPT users continue to use Google, meaning AI is not replacing, but transforming, the search process, and traffic to leading generative AI sites increased by a total of 3.7 billion visits per month from 2024 to 2025, a new record.

According to the annual analysis, the period of “trying things out of curiosity” was quickly replaced by everyday use, and with it a new digital behavior emerged: users no longer just search, but also engage in dialogue. Generative AI has thus become a new “entry point” to the digital world, where answers are not displayed in the form of lists, but in their connections, arranged in context.

The change is also clearly visible in the composition of user groups. While initially mainly students and young professionals used generative AI for creative tasks and learning, today the older generation is also joining in at a rapid pace, primarily for problem solving and daily administration: while the use of AI tools has decreased among those under 35, the use of AI tools has increased significantly among those over 45. According to the report, the composition of generative AI users will approach the entire internet population by 2025.

Integrations are also accelerating the spread of the technology: generative AI is appearing in more and more browsers, applications and services – from Spotify to PayPal, and even built into mobile operating systems. Artificial intelligence is no longer a separate tool, but an invisible underlying layer of digital experience and navigation.

New challenges for digital players: competition for visibility instead of traffic

According to Similarweb, the change has the greatest impact on brands and content creators. The traditional logic of search engine optimization is transforming: success now depends not only on how much content is found, but on whether it is included in the “conversation” of answers generated by AI. In the generative AI environment, authenticity, structure and depth of content determine visibility – the “age of results” is slowly giving way to the “age of conversations”.

AI no longer initiates searches, but is given tasks

According to the report, generative artificial intelligence is fundamentally changing user intent: while traditional searches are based on short keywords, the prompts that appear on AI platforms are longer, more complex and context-driven. Users do not search for information, but give systems complete tasks, while AI tools are increasingly opened directly, from bookmarks or applications – indicating that AI is already part of the digital routine.

Global trends are also reshaping banking

Users expect the speed and naturalness that is familiar from generative AI platforms in their financial affairs. K&H’s digital assistant, Kate, now supports the everyday banking of 150,000 customers, understands 90 percent of requests and provides solutions to 80 percent of them. According to the bank, generative AI is driving an increasingly strong expectation that transactions should not only be simple, but also contextual and personal.