June 1, 2026
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Parents are using AI to build shortlists, but they’re not using it to make decisions
For the past two years, marketers have been asking the same question: how much influence will AI have on consumer purchasing decisions?
For parenting brands, the answer appears to be both significant and at the same time, surprisingly limited.
New research from Your Baby Club, based on a survey of over 2,000 parents across the UK and US, reveals that AI has already become part of the parenting journey.
Over half (58%) say they have used AI tools such as ChatGPT or Google Gemini for parenting advice, support or product research, with this number rising to 62% among UK parents. Meanwhile, one-third of parents (34%) say AI has either directly influenced a purchase decision or helped narrow down their options when researching products for their baby or family.
For brands, that's a significant shift. AI is no longer an emerging behaviour. It's a mainstream part of how parents research products, compare options and build shortlists.
However, the same survey revealed something even more important.
While AI usage is growing rapidly, trust remains firmly elsewhere.
When asked which source they trust most when making decisions for their child, fewer than 2% of parents selected AI. Across both markets, healthcare professionals ranked highest, followed by recommendations from other parents and online reviews. Despite its growing role in discovery, AI sits at the bottom of the trust hierarchy.
This creates what we're calling The Parenting Trust Gap: the gap between the number of parents using AI and the number who trust it when making decisions for their family.
Parents are increasingly comfortable using AI to gather information, compare products and accelerate research. But when it comes to making decisions that affect their child, they are still looking for reassurance from trusted sources before taking action.
Interestingly, while UK parents appear slightly more comfortable experimenting with AI than their US counterparts, trust levels remain remarkably consistent across both markets.
Adoption is rising, but confidence still has a long way to go.
The data suggests parents are using AI in a very specific way.
They're asking questions about feeding, sleep, health and routines. They're comparing products. They're narrowing down choices. They're reducing the amount of time spent researching.
In many ways, AI has become the new search engine.
For busy parents navigating hundreds of decisions every year, that convenience is incredibly valuable. However, this is where we remember that convenience and confidence are not the same thing.
One of the most revealing findings came when parents were asked what they would do if an AI tool recommended a product but feedback from other parents was mixed or negative.
Only 2% of UK parents said they would trust AI over other parents. Nearly half (46%) said they would trust other parents, while a further 42% said they would seek additional information before deciding.
In other words, AI may help products get onto the shortlist, but it isn't giving parents enough confidence to make a final decision.
That's an important distinction.
For years, the purchase journey in our market looked something like this:
Increasingly, we're seeing something different:
AI is helping parents discover options faster than ever before.
Validation is helping them decide whether those options are actually worth choosing.
Much of the conversation around AI has focused on visibility. How do brands appear in AI-generated answers? How do they become part of AI recommendations? How do they make it easier for AI agents to find their products?
Those questions matter.
But our research suggests brands should be equally focused on what happens after discovery.
As AI becomes a more common source of product research, trust-building assets become more valuable, not less. Parents continue to seek reassurance through real reviews, recommendations from trusted communities, expert guidance, product testing and trusted parenting content before making decisions for their family.
Being discovered is important, yet being believed is what drives real action.
For parenting brands, one thing is clear (pun-intended): visibility alone is no longer enough.
As AI becomes a more common starting point for product discovery, brands face a new challenge. Getting onto a parent's shortlist is important, but it doesn't necessarily mean they'll make it into the basket.
Parents are still actively seeking reassurance before making decisions for their family - because the stakes are really high when you have a small human relying entirely on you. They want real-world experiences, trusted recommendations, honest reviews and relevant offers that help them feel confident they're making the right choice.
That's where trusted parenting destinations play an increasingly important role.
Your Baby Club has been connecting brands with millions of parents at exactly this stage of the journey for over a decade. Through product sampling, real-parent reviews, sharing exclusive offers, buying guides and ownership of highly engaged parent audiences, we help brands move beyond awareness and build the trust that drives action.
The rise of AI isn't replacing the need for trusted parent engagement. If anything, it's making it more valuable.
Because while AI may help parents discover products, confidence is still built through validation. And in a world where AI is changing discovery, the brands that win won't be the easiest to find.
They'll be the easiest to trust.
Research conducted by Your Baby Club on over 2,000 parents across the UK and US in 2026.
We're experts at scaling brands across multiple channels by connecting them to our engaged communities.
We don't do empty promises. Just quality connections.
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