of Australian online searchers use AI assistants when looking for information.
YouGov, How AI is changing online discovery in 2026Why it matters
Buyers are asking AI first
of Australians use AI to help choose brands, products or services.
The Navigators, AI Brandscape 2026of the Google searches we track in automotive and health insurance return an AI answer.
(i.e.,) AI Brand Visibility dataAI shapes the shortlist
Buyers now pick from AI's shortlist. You need to be on it, described the way you want.
Buyers arrive better informed
By the time they reach you, AI has briefed them. The first impression is already made.
How you're described matters
AI's words shape what buyers believe about you. We find what drives them in your category.
How we're different
More than a mention count
Most AI visibility tools tell you how often your brand is mentioned. We go further, translating the data into a roadmap that improves your brand's awareness and perception in AI.
WHAT WE OFFER
- Measured analysis across ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews, with more models being added
- Mention rate compared with your competitors
- A sentiment score for how AI describes you
- The factors that drive both, explained through data science
- A roadmap of changes built on those factors
- A view of whether AI positions you the way you want
88%
of searches in Australia run through Google, where AI Overviews now answer questions first.
StatCounter, September 2026
2+
models measured today, chosen because together they cover most of how Australians use AI to research. More are being added.
Comparison
How often AI names you against the competitors your customers weigh you up against, by segment and type of question.
Health insurance data Measured on health insurance questions. Each industry gets its own question set.
| Brand A | Brand B | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sentiment | Mention | Sentiment | Mention | |
| ChatGPT | 5.0 | 12% | 5.9 | 44% |
| Google AI Overviews | 5.5 | 85% | 6.2 | 62% |
Overall mention rate and sentiment out of 10. Brand A leads in AI Overviews but trails in ChatGPT.
Sentiment score
How favourably AI describes you when it mentions you, scored and tracked by segment.
Health insurance data These question types are specific to health insurance.
| Brand A | Brand B | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sentiment | Mention | Sentiment | Mention | |
| Coverage and inclusions | 6.2 | 80% | 5.6 | 40% |
| Costs and claims | 6.1 | 86% | 5.8 | 46% |
| Rules and incentives | 6.0 | 86% | 6.1 | 53% |
| Value and cost | 5.2 | 73% | 5.8 | 100% |
| Trust and service | 4.2 | 100% | 6.6 | 73% |
Google AI Overviews. Brand A appears in every trust and service answer, but is described least favourably.
Brand positioning
Whether AI links you to the qualities you want to own. A gap only matters if it is one you want to close, or a competitor's strength is costing you.
Automotive data These brand qualities were defined for the automotive category. Each industry is measured on the qualities that matter to its buyers.
| Brand C | Brand D | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sentiment | Mention | Sentiment | Mention | |
| Refined | 6.4 | 80% | 6.6 | 85% |
| Authentic | 6.1 | 64% | 6.7 | 35% |
| Welcoming hospitality | 5.8 | 57% | 6.1 | 25% |
| Engaging to drive | 5.5 | 21% | 6.6 | 60% |
Each brand owns the qualities that fit its own positioning, which is a strength, not a gap.
What we've learned
What working with other organisations has taught us
Start with a decision, not a dashboard
Findings get used when they answer a question the business already has to answer. Generic benchmarks get filed and forgotten.
Being mentioned is not being chosen
Visibility only matters when it leads to enquiries and sales, so we connect what AI says to what customers do next.
Marketing and digital shouldn't be separate
The best outcomes come when both teams own the roadmap. Marketing shapes the brand story, and digital shapes the site and data AI reads.
That is why we don't stop at measurement. We partner with you to design and build the digital experiences that change the answer.
What we've found
What our research shows
We ask AI the questions real customers ask, at scale, across whole industries.
Health insurance
Aged care
Automotive
Customers arrive with a shortlist
They research with AI first, so brands meet them late.
What it means: AI may already have decided whether you made the list.
Monitor from Australia
AI answers change with where the question is asked.
What it means: to track Australian brands accurately, monitor from here.
What drives AI answers varies
They differ by industry, segment and often product.
What it means: no universal checklist. Your roadmap comes from your category's data.
Dashboards don't tell you what to do
Action needs insight framed around your strategy, competitors and customers.
What it means: the value is in knowing what to change.
AutomotiveHealth insurance
Models don't always agree, and it depends on the industry
Brand visibility and perception can differ between ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews. In automotive, results were consistent across the models. In health insurance, they were not.
What it means: measuring one model can give you a false read. You need to see every place your customers are asking.
Health insurance data These customer segments are specific to health insurance.
| ChatGPT | Google AI Overviews | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sentiment | Mention | Sentiment | Mention | |
| General | 5.0 | 11% | 5.3 | 88% |
| Seniors | 5.0 | 20% | 5.1 | 73% |
| Young | 5.0 | 25% | 6.1 | 75% |
| Family | – | Not named | 5.5 | 91% |
Brand A only. The same brand, the same questions, two very different answers.
Health insurance data The full landscape: both brands, both models, every question type.
Where each brand shows up, question by question
| Brand A | Brand B | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | AI Overviews | ChatGPT | AI Overviews | |
| Coverage and inclusions | 40%5.0 | 80%6.2 | 60%6.0 | 40%5.6 |
| Out-of-pocket costs and claims | 20%5.0 | 86%6.1 | 40%6.0 | 46%5.8 |
| Rules and incentives | Not named | 86%6.0 | 20%5.0 | 53%6.1 |
| Value and cost | Not named | 73%5.2 | 60%5.8 | 100%5.8 |
| Trust and service | Not named | 100%4.2 | 40%5.5 | 73%6.6 |
Mention rate, with sentiment out of 10 beneath. Darker means mentioned more often.
One insight: on rules and incentives, Brand A is not named by ChatGPT at all, yet appears in 86% of AI Overviews answers. A strategy built on one model would miss it.
Tailored to you
Built around your objectives
We start with your industry, then shape the questions around your products and customers, so every finding informs a real decision.
For example
A health insurer might ask how AI describes it when families compare extras cover.
A car maker might ask how AI compares its product with a rival's across key product attributes, such as cost and quality.
How it works
From insight to a roadmap
- 1
Industry view
Where your brand stands against your category today.
- 2
Tailored diagnostic
Your questions, products and segments, measured in depth.
- 3
Roadmap
The qualities that move AI's answer for your brand, ranked by impact: what to fix, what to protect and where competitors rank above you.
- 4
Ongoing measurement
We measure progress with you as the roadmap is delivered. It confirms each change is having the influence we expected, and keeps the work aligned to your objectives as AI keeps evolving.
Example: our work in automotive
Typical advice versus our data
Generic advice treats every item as equal, in every industry. Our data shows which factors actually move AI's answers in a category, and which work against you.
Typical advice
Every item equal, every industry the same
Add FAQs
Add video
Link to authorities
Fresh content
Schema
A list from a blog. The same for every customer and every question.
What our data says
Some factors help, some work against you
{{d.label}}
{{d.value}}
Automotive, non-branded questions, page signals only. Left: fewer citations. Right: more. Source: (i.e.,) regression analysis, October 2026.
Who you'll work with
The people behind the work
Your first conversation
Stasi Economou
Growth Partner and Head of Frontier
Stasi leads our engagements with enterprise and government organisations. He partners with you to make sure our practices and services deliver value aligned to your organisational objectives.
The data behind it
Seth Reid
Director of Data and Intelligence
As our Director of Data and Intelligence, Seth leads our data work. He built the method behind our industry data and runs the brand diagnostics, from the questions we ask AI to what the answers mean.
Start with a conversation.
Let's look at your category together. We'll walk you through what our industry data shows, then tailor it to help you understand and position your brand in AI answers.
Our office
Level 1/41-43 Stewart StRichmond, VIC 3121