More Malaysians are turning to AI before they search

For years, an important decision often began with a Google search. But among Malaysians already comfortable with artificial intelligence, the first question is increasingly being put to an AI assistant instead.

A September survey of 1,300 adult AI users in Malaysia found that 43% turned first to AI when researching an important decision, compared with 31% who began with a search engine. The study, conducted by AI consultancy Entermind, also found that 41% had already made a purchase or financial decision primarily on information or recommendations provided by AI.

The influence appears to grow with familiarity. Among daily AI users, 52% said they had acted on AI advice, compared with 26% of those who used the technology weekly or less.

For some consumers, that marks a shift from using AI simply to draft an email, summarise a document or answer a casual question. It is increasingly becoming part of the process of choosing what to buy, where to travel or how to approach a financial decision.

The survey also found that AI’s usefulness varied according to what people were trying to decide. Respondents found it particularly helpful for understanding healthcare options, comparing retail choices and discovering travel possibilities.

Yet users do not appear eager to surrender the decision altogether: 51% said they preferred a future in which AI helped guide them while they remained in control, while only 6% wanted the technology to handle most tasks on their behalf.

Its appeal may lie in reducing complexity – narrowing a long list of options, explaining unfamiliar terminology, or comparing several choices at once.

But AI-generated answers can still be incomplete or inaccurate despite sounding authoritative, making independent verification especially important for decisions involving health, money or other high-stakes matters.

Regular exposure to conversational AI further appears to be reshaping what consumers expect from conventional websites and apps. Some 78% of respondents said they wished company platforms made finding information and reaching decisions as easy as AI tools do.

That preference was reflected in how respondents wanted to navigate online services: 42% favoured a search box, compared with only 17% who preferred menus. Typing a direct question can feel considerably more intuitive than clicking through several layers of a website in search of an answer.

Entermind argues that this creates a growing gap between the relatively fluid experience people have with AI assistants and the more cumbersome experience offered by many companies’ digital channels.

Consumers, it suggests, are becoming less patient with websites that make straightforward information difficult to find.

The RM190 billion question

The consultancy estimates that roughly 10 million Malaysian adults in its more advanced AI-user categories account for around RM190 billion in annual household spending. Restaurants and accommodation, food and beverages, and transport are among the largest spending categories after housing and utilities.

This does not mean AI is responsible for RM190 billion in purchases. The estimate combines the proportion of adults Entermind classifies as “highly AI-savvy” with household expenditure patterns from the Malaysian statistics department.

The study is also based specifically on people who already use AI rather than Malaysians as a whole, so its findings should not be read as evidence that nearly half the country has abandoned search engines for ChatGPT and its rivals.

What it does capture is a change in behaviour among people who have embraced the technology: AI is no longer necessarily where they turn after finding information elsewhere; increasingly, it is becoming where the search itself begins.

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