Search is changing quietly, but fundamentally. And PR teams need to pay attention.
For years, visibility was about rankings, keywords, and getting someone to click a link. Today, more people are asking questions directly inside AI-powered search tools and assistants. They get summaries, not search results. Answers, not lists. Often without clicking through at all.
This shift is already altering how brands are discovered, understood, and trusted. It has a name now, Generative Engine Optimisation, or GEO. But for PR, this isn’t a new tactic to master. It’s a reframing of what influence really looks like in an AI-led search environment.
What AI-driven search actually rewards
Traditional search engines ranked content. Generative search engines interpret it.
Instead of asking “who used the right keywords?”, AI tools ask “who sounds credible?”, “whose explanation makes sense?”, and “which sources agree with each other?”. They prioritise clarity over cleverness, substance over volume, and consistency over campaign spikes.
Research highlighted by PR Lab shows that AI systems increasingly draw from earned media, expert commentary, and well-structured owned content when forming answers. Title Media’s 2026 predictions reinforce this, pointing to a move away from high-output publishing towards fewer, stronger pieces that demonstrate authority and usefulness.
In other words, the kind of content good PR teams have always valued is now shaping how AI answers questions.
Why this matters so much for PR
When AI tools summarise a company, a sector, or a complex issue, they often rely on press coverage, interviews, thought leadership articles, and explainers. These are not advertising assets. They are PR outputs.
If your brand has a clear point of view, shows up consistently in credible publications, and explains its role in plain language, AI is far more likely to surface you accurately. If your presence online is fragmented, overly promotional, or outdated, AI will either overlook you or misrepresent you.
This is where PR’s role becomes more strategic. You are no longer just influencing journalists or stakeholders. You are influencing the information layer AI uses to describe your business.
How PR teams should adapt in practice
The first shift is moving from announcements to explanations. Press releases still matter, but content that explains why something matters, how it works, or what it changes is far more valuable in generative search.
The second is building authority around themes, not moments. AI looks for patterns over time. Consistent insight on a specific topic carries more weight than occasional bursts of coverage.
Third, owned channels matter more than ever. Blogs, newsletters, and insight pieces on your own site give AI a stable, traceable source to learn from. For regional businesses, this is critical in ensuring Middle East context, nuance, and realities are reflected properly.
Fourth, spokesperson visibility needs substance behind it. Panels, interviews, and bylined articles are no longer just profile-building exercises. They are signals of expertise that AI systems absorb and reuse.
Finally, brands need to audit what already exists online. Old content does not fade away in an AI-driven world. It actively shapes how AI answers questions, even if it no longer reflects where your business is today.
What we’re seeing already
We’re already working with a few clients around this shift, often without explicitly calling it “Generative Engine Optimisation”. By sharpening their thought leadership, aligning how their expertise shows up across owned content and earned media, and being more intentional about what lives online long term, we’re starting to see early signals of impact.
Not spikes in traffic, but something more meaningful. Clearer representation in AI-led search summaries. More consistent messaging being picked up across multiple sources. And increased visibility as a credible reference point when AI tools interpret their sector or area of expertise.
It’s subtle, but it’s real.
What this means for SMEs and regional brands
For smaller teams, this change is not a disadvantage. It’s an opportunity.
You don’t need to publish constantly. You need to be clear, credible, and consistent. Generative search does not reward noise. It rewards usefulness.
In the Middle East, where local context, regulation, and cultural understanding matter deeply, this becomes even more important. Generic global content is less helpful to AI systems than regionally grounded insight that reflects how business is actually done.
PR teams that invest in quality thinking, strong media relationships, and well-maintained owned platforms are likely to be more visible in AI-driven search than brands chasing short-term optimisation tricks.
The bigger shift to keep in mind
Generative Engine Optimisation isn’t a checklist. It’s a signal that search is becoming more human, not less.
AI looks for content that sounds like it was written by someone who understands the subject, the audience, and the context. That has always been at the heart of good PR.
In 2026, being easy for AI to understand starts with being genuinely useful to people.
