AI is Becoming a Primary Discovery Channel
According to Adobe’s Digital Insights research, 38% of consumers have already used generative AI for online shopping, and 52% say they plan to do so in 2026. These tools are commonly used for product research, recommendations, deals, and comparison shopping.
Traffic patterns reflect this shift as well. Adobe found that visits to retail websites originating from generative AI platforms have grown dramatically, increasing thousands of percent year-over-year as users begin their research directly within AI tools. See Adobe’s supporting report on traffic to U.S. retail websites from generative AI sources.
Tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Grok are quickly becoming new starting points for online discovery. For brands, that creates both opportunity and risk.
When AI Cites the Wrong Source
The threats emerging in AI platforms are not entirely new. Phishing sites, counterfeit listings, impersonation scams, and misleading content have existed across the web for years. What is new is them being proactively recommended by a seemingly reputable source. Threat actors are therefore increasingly positioning their pages, listings, and phishing links so that AI systems surface them in response to user questions.
When this happens, AI-generated answers can inadvertently direct users to:
- Phishing websites impersonating legitimate brands
- Counterfeit marketplace listings
- Unauthorized sellers or distributors
- Fraudulent investment platforms
- Misleading or harmful content impersonating brands or their executives
The impact is significant. When a malicious source appears inside an AI-generated answer, it means a potential customer may encounter that risk exactly when they are asking the AI system for advice or recommendations.
At that moment, the AI platform effectively becomes the gateway between the user and the threat.
Introducing BrandShield AI Platforms Protection
To address this risk, BrandShield is extending its digital risk protection capabilities into the AI ecosystem.
BrandShield AI Platforms Protection enables organizations to detect brand abuse appearing directly within AI-generated answers across leading platforms, including ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Grok.
By analyzing AI-generated responses and the sources they reference, the platform identifies when infringing, misleading, or harmful content is surfaced to users. This allows organizations to detect threats at the earliest point of interaction – before they spread across the digital ecosystem.
With BrandShield AI Platforms Protection, organizations can prioritize risks amplified by AI platforms and maintain control over their brand presence across AI-driven discovery channels.
How the Technology Works
Protecting brands within AI platforms requires a fundamentally different approach than traditional monitoring.
Instead of scanning websites alone, BrandShield actively interacts with leading AI systems using brand-specific prompts designed to replicate real user behavior, even going so far as to configure queries on common variables such as geographical location and desktop vs. mobile engagements. These prompts simulate the types of questions users ask AI platforms every day: questions about products, services, deals, and recommendations.
BrandShield then analyzes the AI-generated responses to identify the sources being recommended or cited. If a risky source is detected, BrandShield initiates remediation with the AI platform itself. The goal is to sever the connection between the harmful source and the AI system, quickly and thoroughly preventing it from being recommended in future AI interactions.
More importantly, the solution requires zero deployment from the customer’s side. BrandShield AI Platforms Protection is delivered as a SaaS solution and supported by BrandShield’s award-winning fully managed service, allowing organizations to extend their digital risk protection strategy into AI environments without operational overhead.
A Game Changer in the War on Digital Risk
Monitoring AI platforms does more than stop immediate threats; it also generates valuable threat intelligence. Malicious websites, fraudulent listings, and impersonation content discovered through AI responses often reveal broader abuse campaigns. These insights strengthen protection across other digital channels, including domains, marketplaces, social media platforms, and mobile apps.
AI monitoring also provides a powerful signal about threat severity. When malicious content exists somewhere on the internet, it may never be discovered by users. But when that same content appears inside an AI-generated answer, the exposure level changes dramatically. This insight aligns closely with BrandShield’s Critical Risks First approach to digital risk protection: prioritizing the threats most likely to cause real-world harm.
Preparing for the Next Evolution of Digital Risk
AI platforms are quickly becoming a new interface for accessing the internet. As more users rely on AI systems to answer questions and guide decisions, organizations must expand their protection strategies to cover this emerging environment.
The threats themselves have not disappeared. They have simply moved to where users are now looking for answers.
With BrandShield AI Platforms Protection, organizations gain visibility into how malicious actors attempt to exploit this new discovery channel, as well as the ability to stop harmful sources from being promoted through AI-generated answers.