For years, understanding the Customer Journey conversation AI has been one of the biggest challenges for brands. The internet already transformed that process radically: consumers stopped relying on salespeople or advertising and started researching, comparing and weighing options before making a decision. Then came social media, on-demand content and omnichannel. The journey became more fragmented and less linear.
And now, while we were still trying to make sense of that ecosystem, a new player has emerged; one that is not joining the journey as just another touchpoint but transforming where it begins: generative AI.
Tools like ChatGPT have quickly become a space where consumers look for ideas, inspiration and recommendations.
According to studies by Gartner, McKinsey and GWI, between 20% and 40% of generative AI users already rely on it to ask for product or service recommendations.
And in the Customer Journey studies we are currently conducting, we can already see how AI is taking on an early and decisive role in the process, accounting for between 15% and 25% of mentions, especially among younger consumers.
It does not simply act as a new touchpoint within an existing path: in many cases, it opens the exploration, narrows the options and shapes which brands make it into the consideration set.
Why consumers turn to AI
Beyond the technological novelty, there are several reasons behind its adoption:
- They are looking for an apparently neutral first steer: AI is perceived as a source with no direct commercial interest, which builds trust.
- They need to simplify information: in an environment saturated with reviews, comparisons and content, AI offers synthesis – it summarizes, compares and guides in seconds.
- It allows exploration without social exposure: consumers can ask personal or even “silly” questions without feeling judged.
- It offers a conversational experience: decision-making stops being a one-off search and becomes a dialogue.
From search engine to decision initiator
A search engine returns links, while AI interprets the need, filters information and proposes recommendations. When someone asks:
“Which running shoes would you recommend with the best value for money?”
AI is not just answering; it is defining the playing field. It decides which attributes matter, which brands deserve to be considered and the frame through which they will be evaluated. The decision starts before the click.
The challenge for brands: entering the conversation that starts the journey
This phenomenon is giving rise to a new concept: GEO (Generative Engine Optimization). If SEO aimed to improve visibility in search engines, GEO aims to optimize brand presence in AI-generated answers.
But there is a key difference. When AI recommends a brand:
- there is not always a click
- there is not always traffic
- there is not always measurable conversion
The influence happens before any traditional metric, because part of the decision has already been shaped in that first conversation.
The challenge for market research
This poses a major challenge when it comes to identifying and understanding the consumer decision-making process. The journey is becoming increasingly fragmented and partially invisible, but it is also being reconfigured from its very starting point. Part of the process happens in AI conversations that leave no trace in analytics. That is why, beyond asking what the consumer did, we will also need to understand:
- what they asked
- how they framed it
- what answer they received
- how it influenced their decision
To capture these changes, some methodologies become especially relevant:
- Customer Journey Qual: to identify the role of AI in the decision-making process
- Digital ethnography or mobile ethnography: to observe real micro-decisions
- Longitudinal online communities: to understand how the use of AI evolves
The rise of AI does not simply add a new touchpoint to the Customer Journey conversation AI: it is redefining who influences first, how consideration is built and where the decision really begins.
If brands once competed to appear on the shelf, on Google or on social media, they are now beginning to compete for relevance in a conversation they do not control, but that is already shaping choices. Understanding how AI filters, prioritizes and recommends will not just be a new line of research: it will be a competitive advantage for brands that want to keep being chosen before they are even searched for.
