AI answers now drive B2B shortlists. Here's how PR and Comms keep brands visible
With 65% of buyers relying on AI answers to build vendor shortlists, your brand's presence inside ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot, Grok, AI Mode and Google's AI Overviews is no longer a nice-to-have-it's table stakes. If you can't see where you appear (or don't), you can't influence it.
That's the job of Surfacd, a new AI visibility monitoring tool from Clarity Global. It shows where your brand lands across AI search, why, and the practical levers you can pull to improve inclusion and consistency.
What Surfacd does
Surfacd tracks, benchmarks and improves how B2B brands show up across major AI platforms. It brings AI search into the same measurement framework PR, SEO and digital teams already use-so you can brief leaders, defend budgets and prove progress.
As one exec at Clarity puts it, "2026 is an inflection point. AI is now fully embedded in how B2B buyers research and shortlist vendors. Surfacd gives leadership teams a clear view of that visibility and puts AI search on the same footing as SEO, PR and digital analytics."
How it analyzes AI visibility
- Brand visibility and consistency across AI-generated responses on priority topics
- Comparative performance against key competitors in AI search
- The sources, signals and narratives AI systems rely on to recommend brands
Who benefits
- Enterprise leaders protecting category leadership and inclusion across AI answers
- Growth-stage challengers using AI search to counter incumbent SEO advantages
- CMOs, Communications leads and their teams who need clear, defensible reporting on AI visibility to guide strategy and investment
Why this matters for PR and Communications
Buyers now spend meaningful time with AI for decision-making. Clarity's research found 80% of B2B buyers spend at least an hour a week with AI to support choices-and 65% use AI answers to build shortlists. Yet many brands remain invisible despite heavy spend on SEO, PR and content.
Surfacd turns this from guesswork into metrics your exec team will recognize. You can see where your brand appears, what's missing, which third-party sources sway results, and how your share compares to competitors.
From black box to briefing deck
"By monitoring the same interfaces users rely on, we show brands how they compare to competitors and which websites influence AI systems when they answer questions in a category," says Clarity's CTO behind Surfacd. "That clarity moves teams from educated guesswork to insight-led planning."
Surfacd also provides the data behind Clarity's Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) service, enabling larger programs that shape how brands are represented and recommended across AI-driven discovery at category level.
How PR and Comms teams can act on this
1) Audit your category prompts
- List the 10-20 prompts real buyers use (e.g., "best enterprise DAM for regulated industries").
- Run them across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot, Grok, AI Mode and AI Overviews.
- Capture inclusion, placement, consistency and the sources cited.
2) Build a visibility baseline
- Track inclusion rate by prompt and platform.
- Log competitor share and position.
- Note recurring sources: publications, analysts, researchers, customer stories, and long-form assets.
3) Influence the inputs
- Prioritize outreach to the publications and analysts most referenced by AI answers in your category.
- Close message gaps: ensure claims are backed by third-party citations and current data.
- Refresh and structure cornerstone content so it's easily cited: clear headings, summaries, and reputable outbound references.
- Collaborate with SEO to strengthen the specific assets that appear to drive inclusion in AI responses.
4) Integrate into reporting and planning
- Set quarterly targets for inclusion, consistency and share vs. competitors.
- Map PR calendar and content releases to prompts with the highest upside.
- Share wins and gaps with leadership using familiar KPIs next to SEO and PR metrics.
Why 2026 is a line in the sand
PR and Comms now influence the same inputs AI relies on: credible coverage, analyst notes, well-structured proof points, and repeatable narratives across channels. Teams that operationalize this sooner will set the benchmarks others chase.
If you're new to AI Overviews, Google offers a simple explainer of how these summaries work. Read more from Google.
What Surfacd changes for leaders
- Clear line of sight from communications activity to AI inclusion
- Comparable metrics you can benchmark quarter over quarter
- Faster prioritization: focus on the sources and assets that move the needle
- Greater alignment between PR, SEO and content without extra overhead
Next step
If your brand is absent or inconsistent in AI answers, fix the inputs and track the impact. Surfacd gives PR and Comms the visibility to do both with confidence.
Want to upskill your team on AI-driven discovery and messaging? Explore practical training for marketers here: AI Certification for Marketing Specialists.
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