I recently spoke with Pete Blackshaw, former Nestlé digital director and founder of BrandRank.AI. What he explained about AI response engines like ChatGPT replacing Google for purchase decisions reveals a major disruption: 5 billion users are migrating to AI for direct answers rather than traditional search links.
AI Response Engines vs Google: The Revolution That Changes Everything
Pete has a unique way of looking at things. Rather than talking about LLMs or generative AI, he prefers the term “response engines.”
“If you look through a consumer lens, they help consumers get solutions, get answers, their guides, if you will, their concierge”
he explains.
This perspective changes everything. We’re no longer in the search economy where consumers type keywords to get 10 blue links. We’re entering what Pete calls “the answer economy,” where the most important activity becomes getting direct answers, instructions, and advice.
Mind-blowing numbers
The data Pete shares is staggering: 5 billion monthly visits across all response engines. To put this in perspective, in the US, that’s Super Bowl-level reach every single week.
“Think about everything that goes into Super Bowl advertising”
Pete adds. This comparison struck me because it perfectly illustrates the scale of what we’re experiencing.
How AI is Transforming Consumer Purchase Behavior
A new purchase funnel emerges
What struck me most in our conversation was Pete’s description of new consumer behavior.
“A new purchase funnel is emerging where consumers looking for products will simply go to ChatGPT and say: what’s the best diaper? What’s the best coffee? What’s the most sustainable pet food?”
And here’s the crucial point:
“they don’t get 10 blue links, they get a blended, prompted moment of truth.”
AI draws from 20 different sources, blends the information, and delivers its recommendation directly.
AI has an elephant’s memory
Pete raises a particularly concerning point:
“AI never forgets. AI knows what’s in your dirty closet. AI will surface it.”
This reality completely changes the game for brand reputation management.
AI Engine Optimization: The New Rules of Digital Marketing
Your website becomes critical again (against all expectations)
A surprising revelation from Pete:
“The number one algorithmic anchor feeding response engines when you search for brands is a brand website.”
This information goes against what many people think.
“A lot of people are probably scratching their heads saying that doesn’t make sense. Websites don’t matter. But no, these bots go to your owned media first to determine your truth level.”
Pete acknowledges.
Back to fundamentals (the “boring basics”)
Pete’s recommendation is clear:
“I often say, think less about sex and sizzle and focus on your boring basics.”
Concretely, this means:
• Building a website with information consumers actually need
• Integrating comprehensive FAQs
• Ensuring simple search functionality on your site
• Not burying important content in PDFs
AI Disruption in Marketing: $250 Billion at Stake
Pete doesn’t mince words:
“The trillion-dollar brand marketing industry is being disrupted by AI search and brand marketers don’t know how to measure it, let alone how to win.”
This disruption hits the most important market space in web history: search, a $250 billion industry. The companies Pete works with through BrandRank.AI “are in absolute panic. They can’t believe they’re losing their search benchmarks.”
Digital Marketing 2025: How to Measure Your AI Reputation
Measuring what AI says about you
Pete’s solution starts with measurement. Through BrandRank.AI, he offers three essential metrics:
• Visibility: Are you showing up in responses?
• Vulnerability: Can AI trust you?
• Content readiness: How are you marketing to algorithms?
A disguised opportunity
Despite the scale of the challenge, Pete also sees an opportunity:
“The good news is, it’s a lot of things you and I talked about 10 years ago about what brands need to do, but they didn’t have the incentive.”
Today, that incentive exists. Brands must excel at customer service, transparency, and quality content, “because that’s the only way they’re going to get credit with response engines.”
A Silent but Decisive Transformation
Listening to Pete, I realized we’re living through one of those historical transitions where the rules of the game change completely. As he puts it so well:
“To some extent, a lot of this brings brands back to basics on multiple levels.”
The question is no longer whether this transformation will happen, but how quickly your organization will adapt. Because as Pete confided to me:
“AI really puts a massive premium on insane levels of speed.”
Do these insights resonate with your business challenges? Contact us to dive deeper into these questions and their application in your industry.
Pete Blackshaw is founder of BrandRank.AI and former global digital director at Nestlé. His digital transformation expertise enabled him to navigate major crises like the Greenpeace affair at Nestlé and create the industry’s first digital command centers.
David Smadja guides leaders through digital and marketing transformation. Former digital manager at Nestlé, he helps companies navigate technological disruptions and adapt their strategies to new consumer behaviors.
Article from podcast #2:
AI & the new “Answer economy “
