AI Doesn’t Search Anymore, It Answers: Is Your Brand Ready?

Pete has a unique way of looking at things. Rather than talking about LLMs or generative AI, he prefers the term “response engines.”

he explains.

This perspective changes everything. We’re no longer in the search economy where consumers type keywords to get 10 blue links. We’re entering what Pete calls “the answer economy,” where the most important activity becomes getting direct answers, instructions, and advice.

Mind-blowing numbers

The data Pete shares is staggering: 5 billion monthly visits across all response engines. To put this in perspective, in the US, that’s Super Bowl-level reach every single week.

Pete adds. This comparison struck me because it perfectly illustrates the scale of what we’re experiencing.

A new purchase funnel emerges

What struck me most in our conversation was Pete’s description of new consumer behavior.

And here’s the crucial point:

AI draws from 20 different sources, blends the information, and delivers its recommendation directly.

AI has an elephant’s memory

Pete raises a particularly concerning point:

This reality completely changes the game for brand reputation management.

Your website becomes critical again (against all expectations)

A surprising revelation from Pete:

This information goes against what many people think.

Pete acknowledges.

Back to fundamentals (the “boring basics”)

Pete’s recommendation is clear:

Concretely, this means:

• Building a website with information consumers actually need

• Integrating comprehensive FAQs

• Ensuring simple search functionality on your site

• Not burying important content in PDFs

Pete doesn’t mince words:

This disruption hits the most important market space in web history: search, a $250 billion industry. The companies Pete works with through BrandRank.AI “are in absolute panic. They can’t believe they’re losing their search benchmarks.”

Measuring what AI says about you

Pete’s solution starts with measurement. Through BrandRank.AI, he offers three essential metrics:

• Visibility: Are you showing up in responses?

• Vulnerability: Can AI trust you?

• Content readiness: How are you marketing to algorithms?

A disguised opportunity

Despite the scale of the challenge, Pete also sees an opportunity:

Today, that incentive exists. Brands must excel at customer service, transparency, and quality content, “because that’s the only way they’re going to get credit with response engines.”

Listening to Pete, I realized we’re living through one of those historical transitions where the rules of the game change completely. As he puts it so well:

The question is no longer whether this transformation will happen, but how quickly your organization will adapt. Because as Pete confided to me:

Pete Blackshaw is founder of BrandRank.AI and former global digital director at Nestlé. His digital transformation expertise enabled him to navigate major crises like the Greenpeace affair at Nestlé and create the industry’s first digital command centers.

David Smadja guides leaders through digital and marketing transformation. Former digital manager at Nestlé, he helps companies navigate technological disruptions and adapt their strategies to new consumer behaviors.

Article from podcast #2:
AI & the new “Answer economy “