"Consumer behavior is undergoing a massive shift as generative AI platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and TikTok begin to reshape the traditional search funnel. It is perhaps the largest shift in the history of the Internet since its conception. We’re moving from keyword-driven queries to AI-curated answers, and this transition is rewriting the rules of digital discovery." AI Search Is Reshaping Consumer Behavior And Brands Must Adapt (Forbes, Gary Drenik, 2025).

AI Search is Reshaping Consumer Behavior: Here's How Brands Can Adapt

For years, we've been trained to think in keywords. We type a few words into a search box, and we get a list of links. But what if the search box could do the work for us? What if it could understand our intent, research the options, and give us a curated answer?

This is the promise of AI-powered search, and it's already here. Generative AI platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity are fundamentally changing how consumers discover and interact with brands online. This shift is so profound that it's forcing us to rethink the very foundations of digital marketing.

The Shift from Search to Synthesis and How 50% of Traffic is Now a Bot

According to a recent Prosper Insights & Analytics survey, up to one-third of U.S. adults already report using AI tools in some capacity to assist with everyday decisions—from shopping to travel planning. This aligns with Botify’s latest 2025 survey of 300 director-level and higher marketing leaders across retail, e-commerce, tourism, and hospitality sectors.(Forbes, Gary Drenik, 2025)

The biggest change is the shift from a keyword-based search to an AI-curated answer. Consumers are no longer just looking for a list of links; they're looking for a synthesized, conversational answer that directly addresses their questions. This means that brands are no longer just competing for the top spot on a Google results page; they're competing to be included in the AI's answer.

Between your brand and your next customer sits an AI gatekeeper deciding if you are visible. That means you need to understand how traditional search works, and also how AI is evolving the process and changing the customer journey. Intent-driven content, structured data, and crisp code transform gatekeepers into advocates. Ignore these factors, and you'll miss out on the fastest-growing surface in search. (Botify VP A.J. Ghergich notes)

According to Botify's recent white paper, Be Found Everywhere: Your AI search playbook, nearly half of all web traffic now comes from bots, with the other half being human.

We see many sites systematically blocking bots in response to this growth, which we believe is a mistake. Without permissions for bots, you don't exist for generative engines.

The Rise of "Agentic Commerce"

This shift is giving rise to a new phenomenon: "agentic commerce." AI bots are starting to act on behalf of consumers to research, compare, and even make purchases. This means that your website needs to be optimized for machines as much as for humans. In fact, nearly half of all web traffic now comes from bots.

The rise of “agentic commerce” where AI bots act on behalf of consumers to research, compare, and even purchase raises a new challenge: websites need to be optimized not just for people, but for machines. (Forbes, Gary Drenik, 2025)

The New Rules of Online Visibility

AI Doesn't Like to Wait

AI search doesn’t tolerate lag. If a retrieval bot can’t access your site in milliseconds, your content might never make it into the generative layer,” explained Mehdi Daoudi, CEO of Catchpoint.

Buyers Trust AI Results for Their Purchases

“Buyers aren’t going through the search-research-list-consensus process anymore. They’re not making spreadsheets, holding meetings, or talking to 50 vendors. Now they go straight to ChatGPT, drop in their context, and say, ‘Give me three options.’ (Tim Sanders, VP of G2 Research Insights)

Visibility in Generative Engines Becomes the Priority.

52% of marketing leaders said they’ve shifted from focusing on rankings to measuring visibility in features like Google’s AI Overviews and ChatGPT results. Yet 47% still say they don’t fully understand how to measure the impact of AI search on their business.(Botify’s survey)

So, How Do You Win in This New AI-Powered World?

Here are the new rules of online visibility according to the Forbes article:

• "Search Optimization Everywhere": Your content needs to be optimized to be understood by consumers, bots, and AI agents across a variety of platforms, not just traditional search engines.
• Performance is Paramount: AI bots are not patient. Your website needs to be fast, reliable, and easy to crawl. If a bot can't access your site in milliseconds, your content may never be included in the AI's generative layer.
• Metrics are Evolving: The old metrics of success, like keyword rankings, are becoming less relevant. The new focus is on measuring your visibility in features like Google's AI Overviews and ChatGPT results.
• Build for a Dual Audience: You now have two audiences: humans and machines. Your content needs to be engaging and persuasive for your human audience, while also being structured and optimized for your machine audience.

AlloIA as a Complete Solution to These Challenges

AlloIA solves the current problems stated in the Forbes article. Our open-source protocol is designed to create a site for AIs without impacting the original site. This helps to structure the content in a way that is easy for the AI (regardless of the AI) to understand and digest, and it ensures that your website is technically sound and performant, all without impacting your SEO. By using the full suite of alloia.ai solutions, you get a view of your products' or brand's presence in the answers of generative engines, you offer these same engines high-performance information for their understanding, and finally, you have the benefit of automatic optimization with the power to guide the optimization according to your preferences.

Conclusion/Final Thoughts

Thanks to Forbes for "practically" creating an article to demonstrate the great value of our approach and solutions. For the curious, we invite you to read the original article.

Internal Links

To learn more about how to optimize your content for AI-powered search, read our pillar page on Generative Engine Optimization.

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This article was inspired by AI Search Is Reshaping Consumer Behavior And Brands Must Adapt from Forbes.

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/garydrenik/2025/06/12/ai-search-is-reshaping-consumer-behavior-and-brands-must-adapt/