Are you invisible to AI? Here’s how to check

Since the rise of the internet, businesses have been striving to secure prominent positions in search engine results. However, with the emergence of artificial intelligence, many brands are now becoming invisible, with over a quarter reportedly disappearing from view, according to a new report. The 2026 AI Visibility Index, an inaugural study by Lucie Content, a strategic communications firm, examined the visibility of businesses recommended by AI chatbots.

AI visibility has become increasingly crucial for companies, as a 2026 report by BrightLocal revealed that 45% of consumers now consult AI for business recommendations, up significantly from just 6% in 2025. Lucie's report offers guidance on how to determine a company's AI visibility, along with a tool for assessment.

AI visibility refers to the frequency with which AI chatbots cite or recommend a particular business, as well as the accuracy of its description. To evaluate this, Lucie simulated realistic customer inquiries and measured the likelihood of a business appearing in AI responses. They also assessed the correctness of the AI's description of the business and other recommended alternatives.

Craig Lucie, founder and CEO of Lucie Content, explained the importance of this research in a press release. "Search used to be a list of 10 links, and you decided where to click. AI gives you one confident answer with only a few names in it. If your business isn’t one of those names, you’re not just losing to your competitors—you aren’t even in the running," he stated.

To assess AI visibility, Lucie Content tested 94 businesses in three different blind scenarios using Gemini's consistency mode. The report included 894 queries, resulting in valuable findings. Nearly one in four businesses (26.6%) were not found in any of the test scenarios. However, the report also revealed that there is little middle ground when it comes to AI visibility; 84% of companies scored either a zero or a perfect 100 on retrieval, meaning they either consistently appeared in results or were completely missed.

Surprisingly, there was almost no correlation between being visible in traditional search engines and appearing in AI responses. Of the 90 companies with a Google eligibility score of 70 or above, 24 still had zero AI visibility. Independent research confirmed that there is only a 45% correlation between top performers in Google search results and AI recommendations.

Lucie Content's report comes with a free tool that allows brands to conduct their own AI visibility scan on models like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Claude. However, the tool only provides a score for one of the six modules tested—technical readiness. For a more comprehensive assessment, brands can access a "teaser report," or schedule a consultation with Lucie Content.

The good news is that the problem is fixable, according to Lucie. By implementing clear, consistent, and factually supported information, along with strong video and imagery, businesses can enhance their AI visibility, as they discovered firsthand when improving their own model.