Reputation in the Age of Invisible Decisions
OpenAI just dropped data on 1.5 million ChatGPT conversations. The big finding? People aren’t just using AI — they’re deciding with it.
This changes the dynamics of reputation management. It’s no longer just about headlines or earnings calls. It’s about millions of invisible moments when someone asks AI a question about your company, your industry, or your competitors.
What Are AI-Mediated Micro-Decisions?
These are the small, everyday moments when AI becomes the filter:
A consumer asks: “What’s the best sunscreen for sensitive skin?”
An investor asks: “Which retailers actually lead on ESG?”
An employee asks: “How does my company stack up on flexible work?”
Individually, they’re invisible. At scale, they’re quietly shaping perceptions and building or busting trust.
What the Data Shows
The OpenAI study reveals some telling patterns:
Decision-driven use dominates. Roughly 90% of conversations are about “asking” or “doing” — seeking clarity, guidance, or action.
People treat AI as an advisor. Not just a writing tool, but a judgment partner.
Adoption is going global. Growth is fastest in lower- and middle-income countries.
Trust deepens over time. As comfort grows, so do the stakes of the decisions people make with AI.
The takeaway: reputations are being built through AI conversations happening millions of times a day.
What This Means for Communicators
For Consumer Brands: Clarity Wins. If half of AI queries are question-driven, your messaging better have answers. Clear, structured, findable answers. Vague positioning leaves a vacuum that competitors will fill.
For Investor Relations: Evidence Over Narratives. Investors are using AI to fact-check disclosures and surface red flags. If content isn’t AI-readable — concise, data-rich, verifiable — you leave room for misinterpretation.
For Internal Comms: Employees Are the First Audience. Employees are running company messaging through ChatGPT, too. If internal and external comms aren’t aligned, inconsistencies are amplified. Alignment isn’t just culture — it’s reputation insurance.
For Thought Leadership: Depth Beats Volume. As AI use matures, surface-level content gets filtered out. AI favors sources that feel editorial: context, attribution, and balanced takes. Brands that offer objective insight are the ones that get cited.
What to Do About It
Audit for AI discoverability. Is your content structured, factual, and usable by AI?
Think decision support, not just messaging. Build guides, FAQs, frameworks — help people choose, don’t just inform.
Treat every AI query as a brand moment. Each conversation is a potential reputation touchpoint.
The Bottom Line
AI isn’t an ancillary audience. It’s where decisions happen.
Your corporate reputation is now being shaped by millions of invisible moments when someone asks AI a question about the space you occupy. The opportunity is to be genuinely helpful when those questions arise.
