What does ChatGPT say about your brand?And ChatGPT's not the only one people are asking, either. We're all still learning how the average consumer uses AI tools - particularly how it differs from the way they use search engines like Google, or Bing - but one thing is for sure: the traditional online customer journey is fundamentally changing.For ecommerce especially, AI disrupts the awareness and consideration phases (unless a user progressed from problem → solution → product), suggesting products or brands based on their query. The research phase is entirely skipped. And this is where the danger - or opportunity - lies.The perception the AI instantly forms is a single, authoritative narrative about your business - and that narrative is rarely pulled solely from your own website. You are either cited, trusted, and recommended by the new gatekeepers, or you are invisible at the exact moment a customer is ready to buy.How is AI Talking About Your Brand?Before we go any further, try this out for yourself.Go ask Google's AI Mode, Gemini, or OpenAI's ChatGPT about a competitor's brand, your own brand, or even a product you sell. What does it say?An example of a search I conducted on ChatGPT. Note the sources 👀The summary it generates is not a simple fact list; it’s a confident, comprehensive review of the brand’s history, customer sentiment, product quality, and typical price point.For an ecommerce brand, that summary may be the only thing a customer reads before buying a product.How the AI Forms Its OpinionAI is not a neutral arbiter; in other words, it'll never play devil's advocate. It’s a sophisticated engine that forms its brand perception based on two core data sets. Understanding these is key to your strategy:1. The Foundation: Training Data (Cementing Bias)This is going to get a bit technical - bear with us. Large Language Models (LLMs) like those powering Gemini are trained on petabytes of public web data, which includes billions of un-curated socia...