When consumers stop searching and start asking AI
When consumers stop searching and start asking AI
A recent conversation about artificial intelligence made me realise something fundamental: the way brands are discovered is changing. During a discussion with the Darbyon team, we were exploring the impact of AI on creativity and marketing, but one question stayed with me long after the meeting had ended. What happens when consumers no longer search for brands but simply ask an artificial intelligence for advice? As conversational AI becomes part of everyday decision-making, this question is becoming increasingly strategic for every brand.
After more than twenty years working in communications and public relations for luxury houses such as Lancôme, Cotyand Longchamp, I have always been fascinated by one simple question: how do brands become visible, credible and desirable? For many years, the answer relied on a combination of media relations, editorial content, reputation and digital visibility. Together, these elements shaped how brands were discovered, understood and ultimately chosen by consumers.
Today, that model is evolving. With the rise of conversational AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Claude, users increasingly interact with information in a completely different way. Instead of typing keywords into a search engine and browsing dozens of links, they ask complete questions and expect clear, immediate answers. The customer journey is progressively moving from search to conversation, and from navigation to recommendation.
This evolution is giving rise to a new discipline: Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). Unlike traditional SEO, which focuses on improving visibility within search engine results, GEO seeks to improve the way brands are interpreted, understood and recommended by generative AI. The objective is no longer simply to appear in search results, but to become one of the brands an AI considers sufficiently credible to include in its answer.
What I find particularly interesting is that the brands most frequently recommended by AI tend to share remarkably similar characteristics. They benefit from strong editorial authority, are regularly cited by trusted media, publish expert content and maintain a clear and consistent positioning across every touchpoint. Artificial intelligence does not invent a brand's reputation. It aggregates, interprets and redistributes the signals that already exist throughout the digital ecosystem, making consistency and credibility more valuable than ever.
This is why I believe the traditional boundaries between public relations, strategic content, brand positioning and search visibility are gradually disappearing. What were once separate disciplines are converging into a single strategic challenge: building the authority that both people and artificial intelligence recognise as credible. Visibility is no longer created solely through media exposure or search rankings; it increasingly depends on the quality, coherence and authority of a brand's entire narrative.
Our perspective
At KALEA Communications, this convergence lies at the heart of our approach. We believe that visibility in the age of artificial intelligence cannot be reduced to technical optimisation alone. It begins with a compelling narrative, a distinctive positioning, authoritative editorial content and a reputation built consistently over time. These are the same foundations that have always made luxury brands desirable. The difference is that they now also determine how artificial intelligence understands, interprets and recommends them.
The strategic question is therefore no longer simply "How visible is your brand?" It is becoming "What does artificial intelligence say about your brand when your customers ask for a recommendation?"
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