Definition
What this term means
The percentage of AI-generated recommendations within a specific category or query set that mention your brand compared to competitors. Share of Model is the AI-era equivalent of 'share of voice'. It quantifies how much of the AI recommendation landscape your brand occupies and tracks whether you are gaining or losing ground over time.
Why it matters
The business impact
Share of Model provides the clearest competitive intelligence metric for AI visibility. If a competitor holds 60% share of model in your category and you hold 10%, their brand is six times more likely to be recommended when users ask AI assistants for advice. Tracking this metric over time reveals whether your optimisation efforts are working and where competitive gaps exist.
Used in context
How you might use this term
“A cybersecurity vendor tracked share of model across ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity for the query 'best endpoint protection for small businesses'. They started at 8% and, after six months of targeted GEO work, reached 35%, overtaking two established competitors.”
Related terms
Explore connected concepts
AI Visibility
A measure of how accurately, consistently, and favourably AI systems describe, cite, and recommend a brand when responding to user queries. AI visibility encompasses presence (whether you appear at all), accuracy (whether the information is correct), sentiment (whether the tone is positive), and prominence (whether you are recommended ahead of competitors).
Model Citation
An instance where an AI model references, quotes, or links to a specific source when generating its response. Model citations can appear as inline references, linked source lists, or attributed quotes, and they represent the AI equivalent of earning a backlink in traditional SEO. Platforms like Perplexity and Google's AI Overviews prominently display citations.
Authority Signals
The collective evidence that demonstrates a brand's credibility, expertise, and trustworthiness to AI systems and search engines. Authority signals include expert authorship with verifiable credentials, citations from reputable sources, industry awards, professional certifications, longevity of domain, quality of backlink profile, and consistent representation across authoritative platforms such as Wikipedia, industry publications, and government databases.