AI-Driven Commerce Is Replacing Old Habits Instead of Building New Ones

For most of the internet era, consumer search behavior followed a familiar routine.

A question arose, a browser opened, a search box blinked, and a constellation of links competed for attention.

Apps, marketplaces and comparison sites each had their place in that flow. What is changing now is not merely the speed or intelligence of that dance, but its starting point. Consumers are increasingly beginning their online experiences with artificial intelligence, according to the December edition of the Agentic AI Report by PYMNTS Intelligence.

Dedicated AI platforms, from conversational agents to multimodal assistants, are becoming the place where intent is first expressed, the report revealed. Planning a trip, comparing products, understanding a new topic, or deciding what to buy is no longer routed through search engines or individual apps. Instead, it starts with a prompt.

Over 60% of adults in the United States used a dedicated AI platform last year, and among Generation Z and heavy users, more than one-third now go to AI first when starting personal tasks, the report found.

That shift may look subtle on the surface, but structurally, it represents one of the most consequential changes in digital behavior since the rise of mobile.

Search trained consumers to think in keywords. Apps trained them to think in destinations. AI is training them to think in dialogue.

When a consumer opens a conversational AI platform, they are not choosing a site or a store. They are articulating a goal.

“Help me plan a weekend in Chicago.”

“What laptop should I buy for design work under $2,000?”

“How can I save money on groceries this month?”

The interface collapses discovery, comparison and synthesis into a single interaction.

Still, not all AI use carries the same weight. A key distinction is emerging between AI that reinforces existing habits and AI that replaces them. When consumers encounter AI through embedded features such as search summaries, smart suggestions or in-app assistants, they tend to treat it as an enhancement. Search remains search; shopping remains shopping.

Dedicated AI platforms, by contrast, are creating habit displacement. Users who start with a standalone AI assistant are more likely to reduce traditional search usage and bypass intermediary sites altogether. The environment matters. When AI is the primary interface, it becomes the cognitive hub through which tasks are routed.

Read the report: How AI Becomes the Place Consumers Start Everything

The distinction explains why the rise of AI can feel uneven. Some consumers still treat it as a novelty or convenience. Others have reorganized their digital lives around it.

If search was organized around queries, AI is organized around intent. That difference has implications for commerce.

As AI platforms become the place where intent is first expressed, they sit upstream of commerce in a way no previous interface has. They do not just surface options; they frame the decision itself.

The same interface that helps a user draft an email can help plan a purchase, learn a skill or manage a budget. Each successful interaction reinforces the instinct to return. Over time, the platform becomes a default cognitive companion, like how smartphones became extensions of memory and coordination.

It is tempting to frame AI’s rise as the end of search, the end of apps, or the end of traditional commerce funnels. However, it is the beginning of a reorganization of how intent is expressed and acted upon.

AI platforms are not just faster tools. They are habit-forming environments that change where decisions start. As those habits solidify, the contours of commerce and payments will shift around them.

The question for businesses is no longer whether consumers will start with AI. Many already do. The question is whether the systems behind the scenes are ready for the first step to no longer be a click, but a conversation.

For all PYMNTS AI coverage, subscribe to the daily AI Newsletter.

At PYMNTS Intelligence, we work with businesses to uncover insights that fuel intelligent, data-driven discussions on changing customer expectations, a more connected economy and the strategic shifts necessary to achieve outcomes. With rigorous research methodologies and unwavering commitment to objective quality, we offer trusted data to grow your business. As our partner, you’ll have access to our diverse team of PhDs, researchers, data analysts, number crunchers, subject matter veterans and editorial experts.

The post AI-Driven Commerce Is Replacing Old Habits Instead of Building New Ones appeared first on PYMNTS.com.