The Zero-Click Crisis: Jumping Elephants Research Reveals How AI is Redirecting Government Web Traffic
A comprehensive study reveals the hidden impact of tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and AI-enhanced search on the behaviour of Canadians and government web traffic.
Imagine a near future where AI-generated summaries become the main source of information about government services, bypassing your website entirely. Are you ready?
As AI-powered search tools become increasingly prevalent, we sought to understand their impact on how Canadians locate and engage with government information. Between February and March 2025, we conducted a comprehensive mixed-methods study to examine Canadian behaviour, the performance of AI tools, and the implications for government digital services.
Our research methodology included a comparative analysis of 8 AI tools across government-related tasks, a bilingual survey of 328 Canadians, and 13 moderated usability testing sessions.
Given the rapid evolution of both AI capabilities and citizen behaviour in this space, this represents the first in a planned series of ongoing studies designed to track these critical shifts as they unfold.
The Shift is Already Happening
While 91% of Canadians still turn to Google or Bing when they need government information, 69.7% have already experimented with AI-powered search tools, such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Gemini. More telling: 37.5% now routinely use these tools for quick summaries of government-related information before deciding whether to dig deeper.
This isn't a distant future scenario. It’s happening right now, quietly reshaping how Canadians interact with public services.
The "Zero-Click" Reality
Here's the finding that should prompt every government communicator to pause: when AI tools provide comprehensive answers, 35% of users either won't visit the official government website (10%) or are unsure whether they will (25%).
During our usability testing, we watched this play out in real-time. Participants would read an AI-generated summary about federal benefits, ask one or two follow-up questions, and then... stop. They found the information sufficient without needing to click through to the source.
Canadians are getting answers without having to click through. This “zero-click” shift challenges how governments measure engagement and reach.
Trust is Complicated
The relationship between Canadians and AI-generated government information is nuanced. 61% of respondents use AI for quick answers but immediately verify the information with traditional search engines or official sites.
This "trust-but-verify" approach varies dramatically by context. Canadians are comfortable using AI for policy overviews, but become skeptical when dealing with high-stakes topics like taxes, immigration, or health information. 41.9% always verify AI answers when the stakes feel high.
Yet here's the paradox: 28.4% of respondents have personally encountered misleading or inaccurate AI-generated government information, but 95% still say AI "helps" them find and understand government content.
The Accessibility Double-Edged Sword
For Canadians using screen readers, AI tools offer a remarkable advantage: consolidated, conversational answers that are faster to navigate than traditional search results with multiple links. All three screen-reader users in our study found relevant information noticeably faster with AI tools.
But there's a critical caveat. When AI tools refresh or expand answers, screen readers often "skip to the middle of the content," forcing users to restart their reading sequence. This technical glitch undermines comprehension and, ironically, reduces trust in otherwise helpful AI responses.
The Bilingual Gap
Canada's commitment to bilingual service delivery faces a new challenge. While tools like Gemini achieved near-parity performance in both official languages (scoring 9/10), popular tools like Perplexity and ChatGPT dropped to 4/10 for French responses, often shortening or omitting critical details.
This isn't just a technical issue, it's an equity concern that could create two-tiered access to government information based on language preference. While these are early days and AI tool capabilities will evolve rapidly, this bilingual performance gap represents an important trend worth monitoring as these technologies mature.
Looking Forward: Implications for Digital Strategy
Our research reveals that AI search adoption is following two parallel paths:
Traditional search engines (Google, Bing) are introducing AI features as a soft entry point
Early adopters are directly engaging with standalone AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity
Both paths lead to the same destination: a future where Canadians expect immediate, conversational access to government information, with official sources providing the authoritative foundation that fosters trust.
What This Means for Government Organizations and Recommendations
The shift toward AI-powered search is currently reshaping how Canadians access government information. 74% of survey respondents said it's "very important" that government websites be easily readable by AI tools, and 76.1% expect content to be updated at least monthly.
Key actions government organizations should take:
Structure content the way people ask questions: Start with task-based pages organized around user goals (e.g., "Apply for benefits") using natural language that mirrors how people search. Use FAQs strategically to fill information gaps, ensuring that all anticipated common queries have succinct, natural language explanations.
Lead with summaries and use scannable formats. Place concise summaries at the beginning of documents. Use bullet points, headings, and tables to facilitate easy comprehension by AI.
Implement structured data markup. Utilize Schema.org markup and JSON-LD to enable AI tools to interpret and accurately cite content.
Enhance data integration and discoverability. Create APIs that AI tools can access and explore, and direct submission options to AI platforms.
Optimize technical performance. Ensure fast load times and mobile compatibility, as AI tools prioritize well-performing websites.
Implement continuous monitoring. With 28.4% of Canadians encountering incorrect AI-generated government information, systematically track how AI tools represent your content.
Test across multiple AI platforms. Perplexity and Gemini consistently outperformed ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot in accuracy and citations.
Address the bilingual gap. Popular AI tools scored only 4/10 for French accuracy compared to 9/10 for English. Monitor and improve French content representation.
Rethink success metrics. With 35% of users potentially bypassing websites when AI provides answers, focus on the effectiveness of information delivery, not just clicks.
Establish AI governance standards. Create evaluation guidelines and consider partnerships with specialized firms.
Ready to meet the demands of an AI-driven future?
Jumping Elephants can help you structure your content, enhance discoverability, improve bilingual accuracy, and build the governance tools you need to ensure your information is trusted, no matter where Canadians find it.
Let’s make your content AI-ready, from strategy to execution.
The Bottom Line
AI isn't replacing traditional government communication channels (yet). But it's creating new expectations for speed, accessibility, and conversational interaction that forward-thinking organizations need to understand and plan for.
The question isn't whether AI will impact how Canadians access government information. It's whether organizations will proactively shape that interaction to ensure accuracy, accessibility, and equity, or reactively respond to a landscape that's already shifted.
Ready to dive deeper? This study presents extensive data on AI tool performance comparisons, detailed insights into user behaviour, and specific content optimization frameworks that can inform your organization's digital strategy. We're presenting these findings to government organizations across Canada to help them navigate this critical transition.
Contact us to schedule a detailed 30-minute presentation where you can ask questions about the complete research findings, including tool-specific performance data, user testing insights, and strategic recommendations tailored to your organization's needs.
Over the next few weeks, we'll also be sharing key insights from this study on our website and LinkedIn. Follow us to stay updated on our findings and practical guidance for navigating the evolving AI search landscape.