by Lauren Parker, President & CEO, Slide Nine
Looking back over the past few decades, there’s no denying technology’s massive impacts on culture and communication. As communicators and marketers, we’ve been forced to rewrite our playbook in response to the changing media environment and how groups of people source and consumer information.
Every new wave of technology rewrites the playbook for communicators. This time, AI is the one bending the rules. And like Neo in The Matrix, we can’t just dodge bullets; we need to see and understand the “code.” Large Language Models (LLMs) have their own taste in information. If we understand their logic, we don’t just survive the shift…we can fly. Here’s what you need to know today:
Credibility is currency.
In the age of AI, credibility is everything. LLMs like ChatGPT, Gemini and Google’s AI Overviews don’t cite brand blogs or paid ads when generating answers. Instead, they lean heavily on authoritative third-party sources such as news outlets, trade journals, peer-reviewed research, and trusted .gov or .edu domains. A MuckRack study found 95% of AI citations come from unpaid media sources — and 85% of those are earned media. That makes securing mentions in respected publications the new form of SEO. If your brand’s voice isn’t showing up in credible outlets, chances are it won’t show up in AI answers either.
Clarity wins.
AI favors content that’s easy to digest. Research shows that clearly structured content with strong introductions, scannable headers and bullet points is more likely to be pulled into featured snippets or AI-generated overviews (Search Engine Journal, 2023). Think of it like setting the table: the easier you make it for both people and machines to recognize the value in your content, the more likely it is to be surfaced and remembered. Dense, jargon-filled writing may look impressive internally, but in practice, it often gets skipped over by humans and AI alike.
Consistency builds trust.
Search engines and AI platforms are designed to reward reliability. Brands that publish accurate, authoritative content on a regular basis are more likely to be recognized and cited. In fact, Google’s own Search Quality Rater Guidelines emphasize E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness) as the foundation of visibility. In practical terms, that means showing up often, showing up accurately, and showing up with purpose. A one-off article won’t carry as much weight as a steady cadence of insights, data and commentary that reinforce your brand’s expertise over time.
Position zero is the new #1.
In search, we used to fight for the first blue link. Today, “position zero” — the featured snippet or AI-generated overview at the top of a results page — is where the real visibility lies. According to a SparkToro study, users are more likely to stop their search journey entirely after reading an AI-generated summary, compared with traditional results. If your brand isn’t showing up in that space, you risk being invisible to audiences who never scroll past the first screen. Just as pole position in Formula One racing gives drivers the inside track to a win, position zero gives communicators the inside lane to capture attention. It’s no longer about being in the mix — it’s about being the answer.
Yes, AI has made the media landscape more complex. But it’s also clarified what matters: credibility, clarity, consistency and strategic positioning. Communicators who understand how these systems surface information and who align their strategies accordingly won’t just keep up. They’ll lead.