Key takeaways
- AI recommends a short list, and the leader’s grip varies wildly by category: from 77% in CRM (HubSpot) down to 42% in marketing tools (Semrush).
- The biggest move of the month: Omega overtook Seiko as the watch brand AI recommends most, 59% to 57%, the closest race we track.
- AI recommends brands, but it cites third parties. G2, Capterra, NerdWallet, Consumer Reports, Reddit and YouTube show up far more than any brand’s own site.
- A few categories are wide open. Marketing tools is a dead heat between Semrush and Ahrefs, both at 42%, the most winnable category for AI visibility right now.
Every month we ask ChatGPT the same questions real buyers ask, across 10 industries, three times each, and measure which brands it names and how often. This is the August 2026 edition. Here is what changed, and what the data says about how to be recommended by AI.
This month’s leaders
Each brand’s score is its share of voice: the percentage of AI answers in its category that name it. Measured on ChatGPT (GPT-5.4 mini), roughly 417 answers per industry.
| Industry | Brand AI recommends most | Share of voice |
|---|---|---|
| CRM | HubSpot | 77% |
| Travel | Expedia | 73% |
| Online retail | Amazon | 68% |
| AI assistants | ChatGPT | 66% |
| Banking | Capital One | 63% |
| Sportswear | Nike | 63% |
| Beauty | CeraVe | 61% |
| Watches | Omega | 59% |
| Cars | Toyota | 55% |
| Marketing tools | Semrush | 42% |
The biggest move: Omega overtakes Seiko
For the first time since we started tracking watches, Seiko is no longer the brand AI recommends most. Omega now leads at 59%, with Seiko just behind at 57%. It flipped in a single month. The takeaway is not about watches, it is that leadership in AI answers is not fixed. The brand that is the default this month is not guaranteed to be the default next month, which is exactly why it is worth measuring. You can see the full ranking on the watches edition.
The pattern that matters most: AI cites third parties, not you
Across every industry, the same thing happens. AI names brands, but when it draws on sources, it leans on independent sites, not the brands’ own pages. In banking it is NerdWallet and Bankrate. In CRM and marketing tools it is G2 and Capterra. In cars it is Consumer Reports, NHTSA, J.D. Power and IIHS. In beauty and travel it is Reddit, YouTube and specialist media.
Pro tip. If you want to be recommended by AI, being excellent on your own website is not enough. You have to be present, and well reviewed, on the sites AI actually reads. That is the practical core of structuring content to get cited by AI.
A few races worth watching
- CRM: HubSpot leads at 77%, but second place is the surprise. Zoho (71%) sits ahead of Salesforce (64%). Market size and AI share of voice are not the same thing.
- Cars: Toyota (55%) and Honda (52%) lead, and this is the category where AI most heavily cites institutional sources rather than marketing.
- E-commerce: Amazon (68%) then Target (50%). The default-retailer reflex is even stronger in AI answers than on a results page.
- Beauty: CeraVe and La Roche-Posay are tied at 61%, both positioned as dermatologist-recommended.
How to read the Index
Each industry page ranks brands by share of voice and lists the sources AI cites most. A line like “260 of 417 responses” means the brand appeared in 260 of the 417 AI answers we analysed that month. Everything is deterministic and reproducible: same answers in, same numbers out. Measured on ChatGPT for a US audience, no estimates. This shift is why more brands now track their presence in Google AI Overviews and AI answers alongside classic rankings. Explore the full August edition, all 10 industries, on the AI Search Visibility Index.
Frequently asked questions
Which AI model is this measured on?
ChatGPT (GPT-5.4 mini), the model many people use by default. We track it consistently month over month so the trends stay comparable.
What does share of voice mean?
The percentage of AI answers in a category that name a given brand. If a brand appears in 260 of 417 answers, its share of voice is 62%.
How often is the Index updated?
Monthly. Each industry page keeps the same URL and is refreshed with new data, so you always see the latest edition.
Written by Matthis Duarte, a senior SEO and organic growth expert with 10+ years of experience driving organic growth for international brands across highly competitive verticals. He is the founder of Knownful, an independent publication on SEO and organic growth featuring in-depth guides, best practices, playbooks and original analyses, including a free monthly study of which brands AI actually recommends across 10 industries.
