Technology & culture

How AI changes brand discovery

A brand no longer needs only to rank in a list. It needs to exist within the answer.

By Marcus Yabe · 2026

From links to recommendations

Discovery is shifting from a user comparing links to a system producing a short answer with a few named sources. This changes the grammar of visibility: the name must be cited, not merely placed nearby.

Growing, still minority use

AI chatbot use is increasing, but it remains a minority behaviour for news discovery. The correct reading is neither that search is over nor that nothing has changed.

What becomes valuable

A system can only cite what it can find and verify. Work, press coverage, documented facts, third-party references and time become part of the infrastructure of discovery.

Sources in the original Portuguese edition

Reuters Institute, Digital News Report 2026; Pew Research Center (2025); Ofcom, Online Nation 2025; Cetic.br; Google Search Central.

All articles