Where AIs most recommend hiring a pro (ARI)
- 01Legal71.7%
- 02Healthcare63.3%
- 03Automotive62.5%
- 04Beauty60.8%
- 05Home Services60.8%
Original research · 2026-07 edition · dated snapshot
AI SEO Statistics 2026
We measured three exact AI API model versions against 547 frozen buyer-intent benchmark questions across 14 industries, then coded each response against a fixed 12-behavior rubric. The results describe this edition's controlled measurement window.
Cross-industry rankings
Where AI behavior diverges the most.
Where AIs name specific brands the most
- 01Hospitality53.1%
- 02Ecommerce49.2%
- 03Education49.2%
- 04Fitness40%
- 05Technology38.3%
Where AIs give price information the most
- 01Automotive45%
- 02Home Services38.3%
- 03Legal31.7%
- 04Education30%
- 05Financial Services30%
Where AIs demand credentials the most
- 01Fitness26.7%
- 02Education20%
- 03Home Services17.5%
- 04Beauty13.3%
- 05Manufacturing13.3%
Highest question-level model disagreement
- 01Fitness25.1%
- 02Real Estate24.2%
- 03Home Services22.1%
- 04Education21.5%
- 05Automotive21.4%
Where AIs warn about scams the most
- 01Fitness22.5%
- 02Professional Services17.5%
- 03Real Estate15.8%
- 04Beauty15%
- 05Technology15%
Service-level · 413 services measured
The services AI is most (and least) likely to send to a professional.
We ran the same measurement on 413 individual services. The spread is enormous: some services see AI recommend a professional almost every time, others almost never. Each links to its own measured study.
Measured service register12 evidence rows
Citable dataset| Service | Industry | Hire-a-pro rate | Sample | Question-level disagreement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charity Nonprofitstudy →Directional panel | professional | 88.9% | 15 questions / 45 responses | 23.7% |
| Counselorstudy →Directional panel | health | 86.7% | 15 questions / 45 responses | 20.4% |
| Dui Lawyerstudy →Directional panel | legal | 86.7% | 5 questions / 15 responses | 21.1% |
| Restoration Companystudy →Directional panel | home | 86.6% | 15 questions / 45 responses | 18.5% |
| Personal Trainerstudy →Directional panel | fitness | 84.5% | 15 questions / 45 responses | 22.2% |
| Tailorsstudy → | home | 82.5% | 40 questions / 120 responses | 17.8% |
| Amusement Parksstudy → | professional | 82.5% | 40 questions / 120 responses | 26.8% |
| Dermatologiststudy →Directional panel | health | 82.2% | 15 questions / 45 responses | 17.4% |
| Locksmithstudy →Directional panel | home | 82.2% | 15 questions / 45 responses | 25.6% |
| Yacht Brokerstudy →Directional panel | hospitality | 82.2% | 15 questions / 45 responses | 25.2% |
| Gas Engineersstudy → | home | 81.7% | 40 questions / 120 responses | 19.9% |
| Real Estate Lawstudy → | legal | 81.7% | 40 questions / 120 responses | 21.7% |
Exact API model versions are listed in each study. Panels below 40 questions are marked directional. Rates describe the measured edition, not a population estimate. Free to cite with attribution.
Where AI least often recommends a professional.
Measured service register12 evidence rows
Citable dataset| Service | Industry | Hire-a-pro rate | Sample | Question-level disagreement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vocational Schoolstudy →Directional panel | education | 2.2% | 15 questions / 45 responses | 29.3% |
| Expert SEO Saasstudy → | technology | 2.5% | 40 questions / 120 responses | 15% |
| Fast Food Restaurantsstudy → | hospitality | 4.2% | 40 questions / 120 responses | 18.2% |
| Hotelstudy →Directional panel | hospitality | 6.7% | 15 questions / 45 responses | 24.4% |
| Cafestudy →Directional panel | hospitality | 6.7% | 15 questions / 45 responses | 17.4% |
| Brewerystudy →Directional panel | hospitality | 6.7% | 15 questions / 45 responses | 17% |
| Private Schoolstudy →Directional panel | education | 6.7% | 15 questions / 45 responses | 19.6% |
| Toy Storesstudy →Directional panel | ecommerce | 6.7% | 15 questions / 45 responses | 23.7% |
| Community Banksstudy →Directional panel | financial | 8.9% | 15 questions / 45 responses | 23.7% |
| Best SEO for Travel Nursing Companystudy → | health | 10% | 40 questions / 120 responses | 14% |
| Internet Cafesstudy → | hospitality | 10.8% | 40 questions / 120 responses | 17.8% |
| Winerystudy →Directional panel | hospitality | 11.1% | 15 questions / 45 responses | 24.1% |
Exact API model versions are listed in each study. Panels below 40 questions are marked directional. Rates describe the measured edition, not a population estimate. Free to cite with attribution.
The 14 industry studies
Every industry, measured with the same protocol.
AutomotiveChatGPT tells car owners to hire a professional 77% of the time, more than double Gemini's 38%Beauty2% of AI responses name specific beauty providers, indicating models act as educational advisors rather than local directories.Ecommerce65% of Gemini responses name specific ecommerce providers, nearly double the 33% rate seen in ChatGPT.EducationGemini names specific education providers in 58% of answers, versus 0% asking clarifying questions firstFinancial Services65% of Claude responses ask users clarifying questions about their financial situation, compared to 0% from Gemini.FitnessGemini names specific fitness providers 2.3x more often than ChatGPT — 58% of responses versus 25%HealthcareAI models rarely name specific healthcare providers, doing so in only 17% of responses on average.Home ServicesAI models almost never name a specific home services provider, even though a named-provider answer would occur 97.5% of the time under pure consensus modelingHospitalityGemini names specific hospitality providers in 63% of answers, more than triple ChatGPT's rate the model doesn't consistently matchLegalChatGPT tells users to hire a lawyer 92.5% of the time, while Gemini does so just 35% of the time — a 58-point gap on the same legal questionsManufacturingAI models name a specific manufacturing provider in only 0.1 to 0.2 responses per answer on averageProfessional ServicesAI models name a specific professional services provider in only 7% of answers on averageReal EstateChatGPT tells buyers to hire a real estate professional 78% of the time, while Gemini does so just 25% of the timeTechnologyClaude names specific tech providers in 48% of answers, nearly double ChatGPT's 28%
This benchmark is researched and maintained in-house. For the underlying data, methodology detail, or an on-record comment for your story, reach the research lead directly.