AI is becoming part of how customers decide what to buy. But appearing in the answer does not guarantee the recommendation.

That’s the central finding from Reputation to Revenue 2026, our new study of how AI influences brand consideration and choice.

We analysed 420,903 anonymised prompts from Prompt Cowboy to understand how people use AI, then studied a sample of 214,000 AI responses across 27 brands, seven categories, eight platforms and two markets.

The research shows three ways a brand can perform when people ask AI for a recommendation without naming one:

• Missing 36% of the time. It did not appear.

• Mentioned 35% of the time. It appeared, but AI chose somebody else.

• Most wanted 29% of the time. It received the primary recommendation.

That distinction matters commercially.

If you are missing, you may have a visibility problem. If you appear but are repeatedly ignored, AI may lack a clear reason to endorse you.

PEOPLE ARE ALREADY ASKING AI WHAT TO CHOOSE

Our analysis found that 44% of prompts asked AI to support research, advice or judgement. More than one in five explicitly asked it to compare, evaluate, validate or recommend.

AI also appeared around 20 times more often before purchase than after it.

What this means: AI does not need to make the final decision to affect the commercial outcome. It can narrow the field, validate one option or remove another before the customer reaches a website, store or sales team.

THE SHORTLIST CAN START BEFORE YOU ARE NAMED

Only 33% of problem-recognition prompts named a brand, compared with 75% during active evaluation.

Early in a decision, people often describe what they need and leave AI to suggest the options. That gives AI considerable influence over which names enter the conversation.

By the time somebody asks AI to compare you with a competitor, the shortlist may have already taken shape.

AI LEARNS ABOUT YOU FROM EVERYONE ELSE TOO

86% of the evidence AI cited about brands came from outside their own websites.

Media coverage, reviews, comparison sites, communities and research all contribute to the picture AI forms.

For leaders, the useful questions are:

• Does AI connect us with the right category, problem and customer need?

• Does it understand what makes us different?

• What evidence supports or contradicts our claims?

• When we appear, why are we chosen or ignored?

If you work across marketing, communications, brand or growth, the report will help you understand how you can be the answer in AI, where you may be losing ground and what to do next.

Celia and the LEOPRD team

P.S. I’ll present the report’s findings in person for the first time at HumAIn on 13 October. Grab a ticket and if you’re there, come and say hello.More Info