Beyond the Search Bar: How AI is Forcing Brands to Rethink Authority

NEW YORK, NY – June 25, 2026 – For two decades, the digital mantra for brands has been Search Engine Optimization (SEO). The goal was simple: climb the search rankings to capture clicks. But the ground is shifting. The rise of generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini marks a fundamental change in how information is discovered and consumed. We are moving from a world of search engines to one of answer engines, and for brands that fail to adapt, invisibility looms.

This new reality is no longer a distant forecast; it's a present-day challenge for marketers and public relations professionals. When a user asks an AI for a recommendation, the AI doesn't just provide a list of blue links. It synthesizes information from sources it deems credible and delivers a definitive answer. If your brand isn't part of that synthesized answer, you don't exist in that moment of decision. Recognizing this paradigm shift, the American Marketing Association (AMA) and communications technology firm Notified are convening experts for a critical discussion on June 30th, aiming to arm marketers with strategies for this new battleground.

The New Frontier: From SEO to Answer Engine Optimization

The established rules of digital visibility are being rewritten. The focus is rapidly shifting from traditional SEO to what industry experts are calling "Answer Engine Optimization" (AEO). While SEO is concerned with keywords, backlinks, and website authority to rank in a list of results, AEO is about becoming a trusted, citable source that an AI will use to construct its answers directly. It’s the difference between being a reference in a library and being the encyclopedia itself.

This transition presents a profound challenge. AI models are designed to prioritize and trust content that is factual, well-structured, and originates from authoritative domains. This puts the onus on brands to produce and distribute content that doesn't just attract human eyeballs but also earns the trust of an algorithm. The webinar, titled "How to Drive AI Visibility with Press Releases and Earned Media," homes in on this very issue, promising to unpack how a brand’s narrative can be woven into the fabric of AI-generated knowledge. It’s a crucial pivot from simply being found to being cited as a source of truth.

Reclaiming Authority: The Surprising Renaissance of the Press Release

In this high-tech landscape, the key to winning AI's trust may lie in a surprisingly traditional tool: the press release. Long a staple of corporate communications, the humble press release is experiencing a renaissance. Research and early observations suggest that large language models (LLMs) have an affinity for them. Their structured format, factual tone, and typical distribution through credible newswires make them ideal training data and source material for AI systems seeking to provide reliable information.

This is where strategic communications becomes paramount. An "AI-optimized" press release is not about stuffing keywords; it's about crafting a narrative with clear, verifiable facts that an AI can easily parse, understand, and reference. The upcoming webinar features a panel of experts who are at the forefront of this methodology. Kyle Arteaga, CEO of The Bulleit Group, has been an early advocate for responsible AI in communications and has conducted research on how AI platforms discover and cite brand content for clients like Google and LinkedIn. He is joined by Notified’s own leadership, including Lisa Davis, who has championed AEO strategies, and Jimmy Kropelin, whose expertise lies in the practical application of AI citation tracking and creating content frameworks built for discoverability. Their collective insight points to a future where the art of PR and the science of data-driven marketing must merge completely.

The Architects of Trust in an AI-Driven World

The implications of this shift extend far beyond marketing metrics; they touch the very core of brand trust and reputation. In an environment where an AI's answer is often perceived as objective fact, the brands it chooses to cite are instantly imbued with a powerful layer of authority. This makes the strategy behind content distribution and earned media more critical than ever. Notified, which provides its Content OS™ and IR Hub™ platforms to over half of the S&P 500, is positioning itself at the center of this evolution. The company’s focus on helping PR and investor relations professionals earn attention and measure engagement is naturally extending into the realm of algorithmic trust.

The expertise of the webinar's speakers underscores the depth of this new field. Arteaga’s work in developing one of the industry's first open-source generative AI frameworks highlights a move toward transparency and ethical AI integration. Davis’s two decades in B2B marketing provide a grounding in programs that deliver measurable business results, connecting AEO efforts directly to revenue. Kropelin’s role in translating AI search trends into practical strategies for agencies demonstrates that this is no longer a theoretical exercise but a set of actionable tactics that are delivering results today. By bringing these voices together, the event aims to provide a roadmap for companies navigating a landscape where credibility is algorithmically determined.

A Practical Roadmap for the AI-Powered Future

For marketing and communications leaders, the path forward requires a deliberate and informed strategy. The webinar promises to move beyond theory to offer practical guidance on how to structure press releases and earned media so they are easier for AI to find, understand, and cite. The session will showcase how one company has already used these AI-optimized techniques to grow revenue, providing tangible proof of the concept's value. It’s about understanding that the audience is now both human and machine, and each requires a tailored approach.

The ultimate takeaway is that success in the age of AI search will be a collaborative effort. The storytelling and credibility-building skills of PR professionals must be tightly integrated with the data analysis and distribution capabilities of marketing teams. Together, they can build a consistent and authoritative presence that resonates with algorithms and human decision-makers alike. As AI continues its rapid integration into our daily lives, the brands that master this new form of digital authority will not only survive the transition—they will define the future of how knowledge is shared and trust is built.