If this feels like 2003-Google all over again, it’s because it is.
Back then, the marketers who didn’t laugh at Google Ads built empires while everyone else said,
“Search ads? No one will trust that.” Fast-forward, we’re here again. A new attention wave is forming, and this time, it isn’t built around clicks. It’s built around answers.
ChatGPT ads are coming, and when they land, they won’t just compete with Google; they’ll reshape how buyers discover, compare, and choose solutions.
The brands that get visible in AI assistants before the auction opens? They’ll win influence at a fraction of the future cost.
Let’s break down the shift, with facts, not hype, and a playbook you can act on now.
People aren’t “leaving Google.”
They’re searching differently.
The pattern isn’t “Google dead.” The pattern is that users prefer answers over links. They don’t want 10 search results.
They want: “Tell me the best option. Show me what to do next. Personalise it to me.” Google still owns the majority of search, yes.
But intent gravity is shifting. And intent is where business lives.
If you’re still wondering how fast AI search is evolving, watch The AI Search Revolution Is Here: AEO vs SEO Explained by our founder, Dean Whitby.
In this episode on our YouTube Channel @buildwithdean, Dean unpacks:
Check our blog on AI SEO Overhaul: How Google’s AI Mode, ChatGPT, and LLMs Will Erase Your Rankings (Unless You Adapt) to know how Google's AI Mode is also joining the AI search shift.
ChatGPT ads won’t feel like Google Ads. They won’t sit next to the answer. They will become part of the answer.
Imagine prompts like:
Those aren’t keywords, they’re boardroom-quality commercial questions. The ad placement sits inside the decision moment, not before it.
That’s why this shift matters.
You’re not bidding for a click. You’re bidding to be the recommended solution. And that’s a different economy entirely.
Let’s be grown-ups about this: Google isn’t disappearing. ChatGPT isn’t replacing it overnight. But here’s what the data already shows:
| Behaviour Trend | Evidence |
| Users click less when AI summaries appear | <1% click links inside summaries |
| Search share slippage | Google dipped below 90% end of 2024, Gartener predicts 25% more slippage by end of Q1 2026 |
| AI recommendations influencing decisions | Consumer studies + platform adoption patterns |
And we have to bear in mind that even Google's share of search is not for traditional search, as it is Google AI Mode, so its own search becomes AI search too.
This isn’t migration, it’s unbundling.
Your buyers will use both. So your business must be discoverable in both ecosystems.
If you’re finding answers on how to rank on ChatGPT, then read our blog “How to Rank in ChatGPT: Step-by-Step AI SEO Guide”.
When ChatGPT ads launch, will my brand already be known to the AI, or will I be starting from zero?
Because here’s the truth, no one says out loud: AI models are already forming beliefs about who the experts are. Once AI knows who leads your category?
If you wait until the platform launches, you’re fighting uphill.
AI assistants don’t crawl web pages like search engines. They evaluate entities, authority, clarity & verification signals; this reflects major AI providers’ guidance. The guidance is structured data, schema-linked entities, citations, and provenance signals. Confirmed by leaders like Google’s Demis Hassabis and Pandu Nayak, OpenAI’s Mira Murati, Anthropic’s Dario Amodei, Microsoft’s Yusuf Mehdi, and Perplexity’s Aravind Srinivas across updates.
We build:
You don’t chase the AI. You train it to reference you.
If finding it hard to grow your business on AI search visibility, and need help, our AEO/GEO services can help you become AI-discoverable.
AI doesn’t just learn from sites. It learns from people, like founders, subject-matter experts, and unique viewpoints.
Engineer:
If your brand isn’t associated with expertise, AI won’t name you. Humans won’t trust you. Also, something to think about is that 84% of millennials and Gen Z won't join a company that doesn't align with their values, so making sure AI knows your brand can also aid both recruitment and retention, equalling an uptick in revenues and culture fit
AI models index tone, knowledge, and positioning from video content that is then transcribed in SRT or TXT files readable by AI, platforms like YouTube offer first-mover advantages
Turn knowledge into:
If Google were backlinks, AI is proof and perspective.
LinkedIn is where:
Engineer your presence, content rhythm, and lead engine so buyers come to you.
Everyone else will scramble. They’ll watch webinars and read breakdowns.
You’ll be:
Paid attention won't rescue the invisible. It will multiply those already seen as leaders.
You can wait like most people and say, “We’ll test ChatGPT ads when they release.” Or you can see what’s happening:
AI isn’t taking jobs. AI-visible brands are getting attention. The gap between “known” and “invisible” is widening. This is your moment to choose which side of that gap you stand on.
At Tenacious AI Marketing Global, we help founders and businesses become:
Schedule an appointment with our founder, Dean, to: Build authority, Train AI to recognise you, and dominate when ChatGPT ads go live, because you don’t chase attention.
You become the source of it.
ChatGPT Ads are OpenAI’s upcoming paid placements within ChatGPT’s conversational answers. Unlike Google Ads, they appear inside the answer itself, where user intent is already high. This means brands will compete to be the recommended solution, not just another clickable result.
Focus on AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) now:
These help AI systems recognize your expertise before ad auctions open.
AI engines prioritize trust and credibility signals. They reference brands and people that have:
We write blog content structured to be cited in AI and ranked on Google. Then we create media-rich carousels, infographics, and social content optimized for visibility across LinkedIn, Reddit, and more. We launch YouTube channels with SEO transcripts, and wrap them all in AEO, GEO, and schema to make sure ChatGPT, Gemini, and AI engines cite you as the trusted answer.
