Humans skim, machines scrape: How AI search is reshaping brand discovery

For years, social media has been the go-to space for discovery. TikTok tutorials, Reddit threads and influencer Reels replaced search engines as the first stop in the funnel. But now, a new player has entered the chat: AI search.

Large language models like ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity are changing how audiences find and trust brands. Instead of crawling metadata or backlinks, they’re scraping conversations like Reddit comments, YouTube transcripts, Substack posts and Pinterest boards.

In this new world, discovery is decentralised. You can’t buy your way into AI search. You have to earn it.

What this means for brand discovery

Traditional SEO gave brands a sense of control: optimise a few keywords, build backlinks, and climb the rankings. But AI search doesn’t play by those rules. It operates more like a reputation economy, where brand visibility depends on the richness of conversations happening about you.

In other words, your discoverability depends on what others are saying.

How brands can win

1. Create off-site conversations

If the only content about your brand lives on your own channels, you’re invisible to AI. Encourage creator collaborations, PR placements, and community discussions that live in public spaces.

2. Brief creators for depth, not mentions

Influencers shouldn’t just name-drop your brand; they should explain, demonstrate, and contextualise. AI models value substance and clarity over hype.

3. Design for both humans and machines

Humans skim. Machines scrape. Create content that’s both readable and indexable — logical flow, clear tags, and rich descriptions.

4. Stay culturally relevant

If you’re part of today’s online conversations, you’ll likely be part of tomorrow’s AI search results. Virality today seeds visibility tomorrow.

We see this shift as a huge opportunity for creators and brands. The next era of discovery won’t be driven by algorithms alone; it will be built on community, credibility and co-creation.

To show up in AI search, your brand needs to be talked about, trusted and referenced across real conversations.

Because in the age of AI, influence isn’t bought, it’s built.

The future of discovery belongs to creators and the smartest agencies know how to turn that into opportunity.

With Creator Agent, you can manage your creators, streamline campaigns, and sign the best brand deals — all in one place.

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Adapted from “Humans skim, machines scrape: AI search and brand discovery” by Hannah Cooke, originally published on MediaCat UK