Despite the widespread dominance of mobile web traffic, AI-powered search tools are overwhelmingly driving traffic from desktop devices, according to new findings from BrightEdge.
Their latest report reveals that over 90% of AI search referrals originate from desktop, spotlighting a major gap in mobile engagement. Interestingly, Google Search remains the outlier, directing more traffic from mobile (53%) than desktop (44%).
Meanwhile, other major AI platforms show a strong desktop skew:
- ChatGPT.com: 94% from desktop
- Perplexity.ai: 96%
- Bing: 94%
- Google Gemini: 91%
This discrepancy may stem from how AI interfaces behave on mobile apps. Many users interact with AI-generated previews within apps like ChatGPT, but a second action is often required to reach external sites—leading to fewer direct referrals.
BrightEdge also highlighted differences in how AI Overviews perform across devices. On mobile, AI-generated summaries appear three times more frequently for ecommerce queries and show greater variability in design, suggesting ongoing experimentation by Google. In contrast, desktop Overviews appear 39% more often, take up 80% more screen space, and maintain more consistent formatting.
Jim Yu, CEO of BrightEdge, emphasized the strategic importance of these insights:
“If marketers are not paying attention to how AI operates on different devices, they may be missing some key opportunities, especially in ecommerce.”
With desktop users primarily seeking detailed information and mobile users leaning toward discovery and shopping, the data calls for a tailored AI search strategy—one that accounts for device behavior as much as keyword intent.
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News Source: SearchEngineLand.com
