The Country Manager in Spain of AXICOM, Mónica González Ortín was the speaker at the new meeting of the Disrupt AI Series, the conference programme organised by Banco Sabadell to raise awareness among its professionals and society in general about the possibilities and challenges posed by the advent of artificial intelligence (AI).
Her speech was entitled “Brand reputation management in the age of AI agents“.
AI: an accelerated change in the way we work
González Ortín began her presentation by recalling—as have practically all the specialists who have participated in the series thus far—that, both because of its possibilities and the speed with which the use of AI is being implemented in companies and by users, AI is a phenomenon destined to alter, much faster than any other previous technology, the way we work and manage our day-to-day lives, both in our personal and professional spheres.
Most common uses of AI among users
Today, ChatGPT is already the sixth most visited website in the world and users are increasingly turning to this type of AI platform to consult it on different questions related to our lives.
Currently, the most widespread uses are:
- Drafting summaries or text processing
- Searching for news and information
- Recommendations before making a purchasing decision
AI as an arbiter of corporate reputation
This is making the way in which brands, products and services appear on these platforms—at all stages of the purchase decision—increasingly important because of their growing influence on consumers, who more than half of the times they make enquiries on AI, give credibility to the answer they are given. Indeed, one of the major changes brought about by AI systems being able to access the Internet in real time is that, from being ‘reactive assistants’, they are evolving into a role of proactive agents in providing information to any user, so AI is becoming the new arbiter of business reputation. It is becoming increasingly important to know how these AI systems do or do not position brands, products and services against competitors, with regard to relevant industry topics, etc., because “although search engines are still the main source of information for potential customers of companies, more and more users are turning to AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Copilot, Perplexity, etc. to ask for information that also supports their purchasing decisions, and this is changing and will change even more the way we have to approach managing the brand reputation of any given company.” The fact that AI platforms are increasingly evolving into a proactive assistant role means that they will not only answer the questions we may ask, but will also make suggestions that they think we might find useful, meeting needs that perhaps we have not even considered. “All these AI systems,” she added, “will also be available in most of the technological devices we interact with, so they will be in a dialogue with users at all times and in all situations.”
AI can predict the potential virality and credibility of a piece of information before it is broadcast
AI is also substantially changing the ways communication professionals are working and, among the innovations she mentioned and which companies such as her own are already using, a proprietary tool based on cognitive AI that makes it possible to test the greater or lesser effectiveness of a press release, message, narrative or communication campaign before it is launched, making the necessary adjustments so that the information provided is more in line with the interests of various audiences before it is broadcast.
The application and development of AI agents in the industry ranges from the automation of simple tasks, such as newsletters or clippings, to the creation of “virtual journalists”, enabling professionals to better target their specific interests.
From SEO to GEO: the new paradigm for online marketing and communication has arrived
Consequently, this new scenario has generated a paradigm shift for professionals because a brand’s reputation is no longer built in “moments”, but is shaped every day, across all channels that influence AI responses.
The advent of GEO (Generative AI Engine Optimisation) is an emerging practice of tracking and influencing how AI response engines, such as ChatGPT, Google Search AI Overviews and Microsoft Copilot, represent a brand.
This will make companies work more and more on their reputation and positioning within these platforms, understanding more precisely what AI systems explain about them and their products and, thus, being able to work on and influence the most appropriate techniques to optimise the drivers of this information received by users, if necessary.
What sources do AI systems draw on?
In this regard, she explained that the sources from which AI “feeds” must be especially careful for companies:
1. Among them, the space gained in the media—news and information generated organically—is nowadays one of the main drivers of brand positioning within AI platforms. In this regard, she emphasised the need to carry out detailed analyses of the sources used by AI, which are often cited, because in some cases these systems give a great deal of relevance to what until now may have seemed minor or niche media.
2. On the other hand, 44% of AI response engines’ answers to questions about brands, products and services are based on own media (website, blog, etc.). For this reason, it is essential to work meticulously on blog or website content, which must be very well prepared, with valuable, educational and opinion-leading content.
3. Social media, forums, etc., community interaction and cultivating brand lovers with authentic conversations are crucial in the age of AI.
4. Wikipedia is also one of the biggest drivers of what is reflected within the AIs of a brand, product and services, so one must be vigilant so that it does not include inaccuracies. It is a platform with very strict rules of use, but it is possible to approach it ethically and transparently, respecting its rules of use in order to resolve any possible inaccuracies or mistakes.
5. Finally, González Ortín added that the proliferation of more and more automated customer service systems and other user interactions will also become highly important experience channels, so special attention will have to be paid to ensure that they comply with brand parameters.
In the AI world, reputation cannot be bought, it must be earned
Paid media has little or no direct influence on what AI expresses about a brand. Unlike search or display ads, paid placements are not shown in organic responses generated by AI tools.
In fact, paid locations are intentionally omitted or excluded from the datasets used for model training, so it is not possible to acquire a positive reputation in AI. Attempts to do so (e.g. through sponsored content disguised as editorial or “black hat” tactics) may not be indexed or may be devalued.
It is clear, she explained, that on AI platforms, reputation cannot be bought, but has to be earned, making the task of communication even more important than ever for companies.
In order to address this challenge successfully, one must:
1. Audit what the different AI systems say about the brand, to understand how it is mentioned, its products, services, in relation to competitors or within the sector.
2. Understand the drivers and sources that are driving that presence—both positive and negative—in order to align the communication strategy.
3. Act accordingly, aligning marketing and communication to work on brand reputation in these new channels, which are becoming increasingly important places to influence users, consumers and public opinion.
4. Measure results and be able to feed back into the strategy, bearing in mind that measurement in AI will be as or more important than measurement in media or social media.
The entire talk can be viewed here.
