How Often Do People Use AI to Find A Bank or Credit Union?

AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini have changed the way people find information online. But the actual impact these large language model tools (LLMs) are having on businesses is still unclear. Credit unions in particular are left wondering where and how these AI tools factor into the member experience.

In a soon-to-be-published survey conducted by Geear of 1,000 consumers, we found that people turn to LLMs as their first step when looking for an FI 10% of the time. By comparison, search engines are used first ~30% of the time.

Search engines have long been considered the #1 way to be found, for nearly every industry, including FIs. And while that’s still true, AI tools are a meaningful disruptor in how people find businesses. 

Prior to our study, the frequency with which people were using LLMs for FI research was not readily available. ChatGPT usage in particular has grown substantially, but its specific impact on FIs was unclear.

In addition to our study, we analyzed 50 credit union websites to determine how much of their traffic was driven by ChatGPT. Our results found LLMs represented only 0.1% of total LLM + search combined traffic. In other words, if you only look at traffic referrals as an indication of how disruptive LLM are for you, you’d conclude it’s not worth the time. 

But unlike search engines, LLMs are not primarily designed to link people away. Instead, they offer solutions directly in the chat. This is why our most recent research (The ‘The Consumer Banking Preferences & Behavior Report’ due to release Jan 2026) is a more reliable way of understanding the impact LLMs are having on credit union websites. 

So what happens after someone searches in an LLM tool?

The data on this is still sparse, but the most likely scenario is the LLM provides a recommendation, and then the user turns to Google or Bing to search for the selected institution directly.

What does this mean for CUs?

There’s clearly an opportunity and real estate to be captured on the various LLMs. So how is that achieved? The good news is that if you’ve been investing in producing high-quality content on your website and ensuring you have a reputable brand online, you should already be in a decent place. These methods include:

• High-quality content with strong sentence and word counts
  
  
• Strong readability
  
  
• Strong brand authority online, built through digital PR and presence on social media, local, or industry websites

In terms of tracking visibility, measuring LLM referral traffic to your website is not a reliable metric. Instead, tools like GumShoe and Profound will ping various LLMs with pre-determined prompts and track your brand’s visibility over time. 

If you would like to stay informed about this study and future studies we do on AI and financial institutions, register for the 2026 Consumer Report and we will keep you updated.