Dima Zalatimo, a senior corporate communications executive based in Dubai.AI has quietly rewritten how information is discovered. Decision-makers are no longer sifting through websites or search pages; they’re asking AI engines for the answer.
What they receive isn’t a list of sources but a synthesised version of reality shaped by whichever brands the model recognises as credible. For communications leaders, this changes the function entirely.
Visibility is no longer just earned through optimisation – it’s safeguarded through accuracy, traceability, and authority.
The discovery model has moved on
McKinsey’s 2024 GCC survey found that three-quarters of organisations were already using generative AI, yet only seven percent had realised measurable value. The pattern is familiar in communications: heavy activity, limited strategy. Teams are producing content at scale, but few are asking whether their information is being accurately represented.
According to Bain & Company’s Goodbye Clicks, Hello AI (2024), almost 80 per cent of users now get answers directly from search results without visiting a website. This shift has cut overall web traffic by roughly 15 to 25 per cent. Discovery is collapsing into instant summaries. If the data, commentary, or research from your organisation isn’t being cited or referenced, AI may already be shaping perceptions of your brand without your participation.
Edelman’s 2025 Trust Barometer shows that 76 per cent of people in the UAE trust business to ‘do what is right’ – one of the highest trust levels globally. Edelman attributes this to alignment with national purpose, technological progress and a stable, cooperative institutional environment – all conditions that make business a credible actor in advancing the public good. That trust carries responsibility.
In an AI-first environment, systems prioritise verifiable, high-authority sources when generating responses. Communications leaders must now manage the flow of verified information with the same rigour once reserved for media relations.
The owned-channel advantage
As generative search reduces click-through rates, SEO can no longer carry visibility on its own. Communications teams need to strengthen channels they control and can audit:
- Knowledge hubs hosted on company websites that centralise research, metrics and company statements, giving both audiences and AI systems a single, credible source of truth.
- Podcasts and briefings that unpack regional policy and sector trends, building accessible archives of verified commentary.
- Insight series and data reports that package proprietary findings, performance metrics, or regional benchmarks content that journalists, analysts and AI engines can reference as authoritative.
- Strategic media partnerships and speaker engagements that reinforce a company’s thought leadership in visible, high-credibility forums and digital platforms.
These ecosystems function as repositories of institutional accuracy that protect brand narratives from distortion.
Closing the SME visibility gap
The OECD’s 2025 report on AI adoption found that large firms scale faster while SMEs face data and skills barriers. In communications, the same imbalance exists.
Enterprise brands can fund analyst relationships and proprietary research that feed AI references. SMEs can compete by focusing narrowly and owning one domain of expertise, producing high-quality insight around it and distributing it through reliable, owned channels. In a machine-curated environment, precision is rewarded.
Measuring reputation, not clicks
AI-driven discovery demands metrics that assess integrity, not just reach. Communications teams should monitor:
- Citations or mentions in AI-generated outputs where attribution is visible.
- Growth in branded search queries and direct visits.
- Quality of inbound requests from media, analysts and partners.
- Engagement consistency within owned platforms.
These indicators reveal whether a brand is trusted enough to inform automated systems and human audiences alike.
The credibility economy in the age of AI
In MENA, visibility remains vital, but now credibility increasingly demands verifiability. The role of the communications leader is expanding from message management to information stewardship, ensuring that what is discoverable is accurate, consistent and trusted.
In the age of generative AI, a brand’s credibility is only as strong as the consistency of its information under scrutiny, human or algorithmic.
By Dima Zalatimo, a senior corporate communications executive based in Dubai.
