ChatGPT could make brands invisible as consumers move from searching on Google to asking artificial intelligence what to buy, which companies to trust and which products best suit their needs. In this episode of The Core Report Weekend Edition, Financial Journalist Govindraj Ethiraj speaks with Kirthiga Reddy, co-founder and CEO of OptimizeGEO.ai, about how AI search, Generative Engine Optimization and large language models are reshaping marketing, brand discovery and consumer decisions. Reddy says ChatGPT now has more than a billion users, with people returning multiple times a day. She also points to the rise of zero-click Google searches, where users receive answers without visiting another website. As consumers move from awareness to purchase within an AI conversation, brands missing from those answers risk being forgotten. The conversation examines how Generative Engine Optimization or GEO differs from traditional SEO. Reddy explains how companies can measure visibility, share of voice, sentiment, accuracy and trust across ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity. She also explains why inconsistent information can confuse large language models and reduce the chances of a brand being recommended. Large advertising budgets may not guarantee strong AI visibility. Drawing on a study around the Indian Premier League, Reddy explains why brands combining media spending with an AI search strategy performed better than those relying on advertising alone. The discussion also looks at how creators, Reddit, customer reviews and trusted sources influence AI answers. AI search could also change customer acquisition. Reddy discusses a business that recorded three times higher visibility, more than 131% growth in AI-attributable traffic and twice the revenue from AI-attributable sources. She also examines agentic commerce, where AI agents research products, compare services and make purchasing decisions for consumers. For businesses, this could mean marketing and selling to AI agents, not only to humans. Reddy explains why AI visibility needs an always-on strategy, how enterprises should respond and how leaders can build AI-ready teams. She also reflects on her journey as Facebook’s first employee in India, Managing Director of Facebook India and South Asia, and the first female investing partner at SoftBank Investment Advisers. Could AI search determine which brands gain market share and which disappear from consumer consideration? Watch the full conversation for insights on ChatGPT, AI search, Generative Engine Optimization, GEO, brand visibility, digital marketing, artificial intelligence, large language models, agentic commerce & the future of search. Chapters: 01:24 What Led to OptimizeGEO.ai? 02:18 How AI Changed Brand Discovery 03:37 From SEO to AI: What Changed? 05:41 How LLMs Choose What to Recommend 07:18 How Brands Build Trust With AI 08:28 What Are Consumers Really Asking? 09:46 The Gap Between Brands and Creators 10:55 How Fast-Changing LLMs Are Reshaping Brands 12:53 Why Every Big Launch Needs an AI Strategy 13:49 What Happens When AI Changes the Rules? 14:36 When AI Starts Driving Transactions 16:06 How Agentic Commerce Changes Everything 17:22 Is AI Moving Faster Than Enterprises? 18:28 What Consumers Want, Market by Market 20:07 How Should Brands Respond to Consumer Feedback? 21:50 Inside the Corporate Response to AI 22:57 What’s Next for AI Visibility? 24:06 What Does an AI-Ready Enterprise Look Like? 25:27 What Kind of AI Team Do Enterprises Need? 26:01 Who Should You Hire for the AI Era? 27:42 Why Become an Entrepreneur? Could ChatGPT make your brand invisible? Kirthiga Reddy & Govindraj Ethiraj explain AI search, Generative Engine Optimization, GEO, brand visibility, digital marketing & agentic commerce on The Core Report. See how ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude & Perplexity shape brand discovery & product recommendations. #ChatGPT #AISearch #GenerativeEngineOptimization #DigitalMarketing
