We spent years optimizing attribution across Facebook, Google, TikTok, and traditional search.
But what happens when people stop searching… and start asking AI?
Today, users ask ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude:
- “What’s the best analytics tool?”
- “Which CRM should I use?”
- “Best project management software for startups?”
AI compresses dozens of touchpoints into a single recommendation.
So now I’m wondering:
Is attribution slowly becoming obsolete?
A customer might:
- Watch your YouTube video
- See a LinkedIn post
- Read Reddit discussions
- Hear your brand on a podcast
- Ask ChatGPT for recommendations
- Then directly visit your website
Which platform gets the credit?
Maybe the future of attribution is no longer:
“Which ad converted the customer?”
Maybe it becomes:
“Was your brand present enough across the internet for humans and AI to trust it?”
What do you think changes in the AI-first discovery era?
Tahir Shahzad
Tahir Shahzad is a Product Manager, Product Owner, and technology consultant with over a decade of experience helping startups and organizations build products people actually use. If you are working on a product problem worth solving, reach him at tahirshahzad.com/contact/
