Sartaj Rajpal from Profound reveals the data behind how AI answer engines are reshaping consumer decisions, and what it means for every brand competing for revenue in 2025 and beyond.
Global AI Strategist | Profound
of consumers use an AI Answer Engine for commerce on a weekly basis
of consumers rely on AI Answer Engines for more than half of their purchase decision-making
conversion rate for consumers who made decisions fully inside AI, nearly 2.5× the baseline rate
projected year ChatGPT could surpass Google in monthly visits, based on June 2025 projections
The way customers find, evaluate, and choose products has undergone the most rapid transformation in the history of commerce. AI answer engines are not just discovery tools. They are becoming the primary interface between consumers and the brands they buy from. The brands that get recommended by AI will win. The ones that don’t will become invisible, even if they rank perfectly on Google today.
In this session, Sartaj Rajpal from Profound – the research team building the science of AI visibility – presents the data every growth leader needs to understand right now. He walks through how different AI systems (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Mode, Google AI Overviews) source and rank information differently, and why your SEO strategy alone will not get you cited. AI is where the high-intent buyers are. The question is whether your brand shows up when it matters most.
You’ll Walk Away With:
ChatGPT reached 100 million users in two months. Your customers are already using AI to decide what to buy.
Not all AI engines work the same way. Sartaj breaks down exactly what each one looks for so you know what to fix.
Consumers who decided inside AI converted at 85.9%, the number that turns AI visibility into a board-level conversation.
When a customer asks AI about your brand, you don’t get to answer. Sartaj shows you what’s at stake.
The specific, actionable criteria AI engines use to include or ignore a brand, and exactly where to start.
Sartaj Rajpal leads AI research at Profound, a company dedicated to understanding how AI systems influence consumer behaviour and brand discovery. His work sits at the intersection of AI, commerce, and the evolving relationship between brands and the platforms that now mediate their most important customer conversations. At the Net Solutions Executive Summit in London, Sartaj presented original research on what he calls the Machine Customer Era, a fundamental shift in which AI systems are no longer just tools for human users, but active participants in the purchase journey. His session gave executives a grounded, data-driven view of a trend most businesses are only beginning to feel. Sartaj's research covers how different AI answer engines source and cite brands, the correlation between AI recommendations and conversion, and the technical signals that determine which companies become 'AI-visible,’ which become irrelevant in the new discovery landscape.
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