Someone discovered your competitor today. Not through Google. Not through an ad. Through ChatGPT.
They asked a question, got a recommendation, and signed up. They never saw a search result. They never compared options. They just took the AI's suggestion.
That's AI discovery. And it's happening constantly.
How AI discovery changes everything
Traditional discovery worked like this: search, browse results, click around, evaluate options, choose.
AI discovery compresses that: ask, receive recommendation, act.
The evaluation step collapses. AI does the comparison and presents a recommendation. Users trust it and move forward. They don't click through 10 websites. They don't read 5 reviews. They take the suggestion.
This is fundamentally different from how people found things for the past 20 years.
Real examples of AI discovery
"What's a good accounting tool for freelancers?" AI recommends options. User picks one.
"I need a CRM that integrates with Gmail." AI suggests specific products. User evaluates from a shortlist of three, not thirty.
"Which project management tool is best for small teams?" AI provides a comparison. User goes with the top recommendation.
In each case, the user discovered products through AI mediation. They didn't search Google and form their own opinion from organic results. AI shaped their consideration set.
Why this matters for your business
Different discovery path. Users who discover you through AI never saw your Google ranking. They might never visit your website until they're ready to buy. Your traditional SEO investment didn't influence them at all.
Recommendation power. AI recommendations carry weight. "I'd suggest trying X" is more persuasive than a list of search results. There's implicit endorsement. Trust transfer. The user didn't decide you were worth considering. AI did.
Early-stage capture. AI discovery often happens at the research phase. Being recommended early shapes the consideration set. If you're not in the initial AI recommendation, you might never make it onto the user's radar.
Optimizing for AI discovery
Be known in your category. AI needs to associate your brand with what you do. Consistent information, industry presence, and clear positioning help AI understand where you fit and when to recommend you.
Create discoverable content. Content that answers the questions users ask during discovery. Not just product pages, but educational content that positions you as an authority. When AI researches your category, it should find you.
Build citation-worthy authority. AI discovers and recommends what it trusts. Authority comes from comprehensive content and third-party validation. Being mentioned on credible sites signals trustworthiness.
Track discovery visibility. Use tools to see if AI recommends you for discovery-phase queries in your category. If you're invisible during discovery, you're missing opportunities you don't even know about.
AI discovery is accelerating
As users get comfortable with AI, more discovery happens through AI tools. The generation growing up with ChatGPT will treat AI recommendations like we treat Google results.
The brands that are visible in AI discovery will have an advantage over those still optimizing only for Google. Because increasingly, the discovery happens before anyone opens a search engine.