CHICAGO – November 10, 2026 -- Search volume for AI-related queries rose 2,400% over four years, yet social conversation around the same topic showed rising concern about data centers and pushback against low-quality AI content, according to a new Cision report that analyzed more than 564 million social media posts.
The State of Search and Social 2027 combines Brandwatch Consumer Research and Trajaan data covering 564.61 million posts and 4,678 search queries and AI prompts. The primary research period runs from August 2025 to August 2026. The report covers health and wellness, food and beverages, automotive, AI and online culture.
Toyota leads AI car recommendations with 13.8% of brand mentions but trails YouTube as a cited source
In an analysis of AI responses to "best car"-related queries, Toyota captured a 13.8% share of brand mentions. Toyota's own website made up only a fraction of the sources cited by large language models, while YouTube was cited more than 4,000 times.
The most-cited sources were YouTube creators, editorial brands and individual journalists, not carmakers. Cision argues that the coverage, reviews and community conversation a brand earns now feed the answers its buyers receive from AI tools.
Magnesium glycinate analysis shows consumers and AI emphasize different benefits
Stress relief dominated social discussion of magnesium glycinate's benefits. AI responses instead emphasized bone support and cardiometabolic support. The gap means a brand's messaging can diverge from the framing AI platforms present to shoppers asking about the same product.
"Whimsymaxxing" mentions climb 917% as search interest in "maxxing" cools
Initial searches around "maxxing" faded, but social conversation showed the trend taking new forms. Mentions of "whimsymaxxing" grew 917% year over year. Cision says reading search and social data together shows whether attention is fading or shifting.
Timing also separated food trends. Dubai chocolate went viral in 2025, but its search spike faded as quickly as it arrived. Matcha emerged as an "always-on" trend that consumers keep returning to.
Cision urges teams to act while interest is building, not after it peaks
"Search can show where interest is changing. Social helps explain why," said Amy Jones, Chief Marketing Officer at Cision. She added that AI answers show the narrative that reaches consumers.
The report warns that recognizing a trend only after it peaks can mean arriving too late. It also cautions that teams measuring search, social and AI separately will increasingly misread what consumers are asking, discussing and being told. It includes five questions to help marketing and communications teams link the three data sets when planning 2027 campaigns, investments and communications.