A New Era of Brand Discovery
AwarenessAI has strengthened its position as a leading voice in Generative Engine Optimisation following a recent webinar hosted in collaboration with Eskenzi PR, featuring insights from Tom Mason and research-led commentary from Censuswide.
The session explored a fundamental shift in how organisations are discovered and evaluated, moving away from traditional search engine journeys towards AI-generated answers that summarise, interpret and recommend brands in real time.
From Search Engines to AI Answer Systems
During the webinar, Mason outlined how this shift is driving the emergence of Generative Engine Optimisation. While search engine optimisation has historically focused on rankings and click-through, GEO addresses a different challenge, ensuring that AI-generated responses accurately reflect a brand’s capabilities, positioning and credibility.
AI systems are now acting as the first point of contact. Instead of users navigating multiple sources, large language models condense research, evaluation and recommendation into a single response, significantly reducing the number of opportunities brands have to influence perception.
The Risk of Unmanaged AI Representation
A key theme throughout the discussion was the growing risk associated with unmanaged AI representation. AI systems aggregate information from a wide range of sources, including websites, articles and user-generated content, which can lead to inconsistencies, outdated narratives or incomplete descriptions being surfaced at scale.
As Mason explained, many organisations remain unaware of how they are being portrayed until these outputs begin influencing customer perception and decision-making. This creates a new reputational challenge where inaccuracies can persist and spread without direct visibility.
AI Is Now Influencing Buying Decisions
Research shared by Censuswide reinforced the scale of this shift. AI tools are now embedded in daily workflows for senior professionals, with a significant proportion of users relying on AI-generated recommendations to inform purchasing decisions.
The findings also highlighted a growing expectation that credible organisations should appear within AI responses. Visibility is no longer just a marketing objective, it is increasingly linked to trust and commercial performance.
The Rise of AI Recommendations
The webinar also explored how AI is moving beyond describing organisations to actively recommending them. AI-generated shortlists, comparisons and “best of” suggestions are increasingly shaping buyer behaviour.
This shift elevates the importance of third-party validation, including industry rankings, media coverage and authoritative content. These sources are frequently used by AI systems when forming recommendations, making them a critical component of modern visibility strategies.
AwarenessAI’s Role in the GEO Landscape
For AwarenessAI, the session reinforced its core positioning around helping organisations understand and improve their AI visibility. The company’s approach focuses on auditing how brands are represented across leading AI systems, identifying gaps in visibility, accuracy and recommendation, and providing structured guidance to improve outcomes.
The collaboration with Eskenzi PR and Censuswide reflects a broader industry convergence between marketing, PR and data insights, as organisations adapt to a landscape where AI increasingly mediates brand perception.
A Defining Moment for Brand Reputation
As AI adoption accelerates, the discussion underscored a clear conclusion. Brand reputation is no longer shaped solely by owned content or traditional search performance. It is now actively interpreted and communicated by AI systems.
Organisations that take a proactive approach to managing this layer of visibility are more likely to secure accurate representation, stronger positioning and inclusion in AI-driven recommendations. Those that do not risk being misrepresented, overlooked or excluded entirely from the decision-making process.