Australian marketers are increasingly divided over who owns AI visibility, as businesses struggle to adapt to the rise of AI-driven search and discovery.
A recent study by Sefiani found that 84% of marketing and communications leaders disagree on ownership of AI visibility, highlighting a lack of clear responsibility across organisations.
At the same time, 91% of respondents said they are already changing strategies to better influence how brands appear in AI-generated answers. However, only 16% reported having an integrated approach, with responsibilities split across data, brand, communications and performance teams.
Fragmentation Risks Undermining AI Visibility Strategies
The lack of alignment is creating operational challenges. Around 77% of leaders said internal silos caused major issues over the past year, including inconsistent messaging and slower response times.
More critically, one in four organisations reported incorrect or outdated brand information appearing in AI-generated responses, raising concerns about reputational risk in AI-led environments.
This shift reflects a broader transformation in how discovery works. AI tools are moving beyond traditional search, forcing companies to rethink how their information is structured and distributed.
Budget allocation is also evolving. Nearly half of respondents said they have assigned 5% to 10% of marketing budgets to AI visibility, while another 30% are investing up to 20%. Most of this spend is being redirected from traditional digital and brand channels.
Industry experts warn that AI visibility is no longer tied to a single channel. Instead, it depends on consistency across content, media coverage, social signals and search authority. Without alignment, fragmented strategies can weaken how brands appear in AI-generated outputs.
As AI continues to reshape digital discovery, the debate is shifting from search rankings to a more complex question: who controls how a brand is represented inside AI systems.