What Type of Marketing Channel Is AI?

Is it just SEO with a new paint job?

That’s the question I kept asking as I watched AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, and Perplexity go from novelty to utility.

But after running thousands of AI chats and studying usage patterns from HBR, Semrush, and Ahrefs, I think we’re looking at something far more foundational.

AI isn’t just a tool anymore. It’s becoming how people interact with information, choices, and brands — across both their personal and professional lives.

That means it’s not just another channel, it’s a layer. A layer that’s persistent, context-aware, and embedded into how people think, ask, decide, and trust.

So… what kind of channel is it?

It reminds me most of one of the most powerful and hardest-to-control marketing channels, word-of-mouth.

• But instead of asking a friend where they got their shoes, users are asking ChatGPT.
• Instead of texting a colleague for advice, they’re consulting Gemini.
• Sometimes it feels like they’re journaling out loud… but their journal talks back.

And in those moments — the product recommendations, the summaries, the comparisons — brands are being represented (or not) with no links, no ads, and no UTM codes.

Just a sentence or two that might echo across a million conversations.

What’s backing this up?

We’re seeing clear patterns emerge across data sources:

• Context-driven: AI doesn’t give the same answer to everyone. It adjusts based on phrasing, previous chats, and the model itself.

• Conversational: Users go back-and-forth with it. It’s not one query — it’s a dialogue.

• Perceptual: AI forms opinions. It doesn’t just relay facts — it interprets, summarizes, and judges.

• Advisory: It’s not just discovery. People ask it “what’s best,” “what should I buy,” and “do you recommend…?”

• Unlinked: Influence happens inside the AI tool. There’s often no click, no referral — just impression and framing.

These are the same dynamics that make word-of-mouth so powerful — and so hard to fake.

Right now, AI responses don’t feel commercially influenced. No “sponsored” tags. No affiliate callouts.
And that’s exactly why people are starting to trust these tools like they trust a friend or a colleague.

Is this relevant to your business?

Maybe not yet. But it will be.

Adoption is spreading fast HBR shows it’s already embedded in workflows from drafting emails to making buying decisions. Pew Research shows younger generations and knowledge workers are leading the way.

If your customers overlap with the early adopters (young adults, students, educated, middle or high income, in a knowledge or tech occupation), you already have a direct path to convert those conversations into revenue.

And if they don’t overlap yet, they will soon. Because AI isn’t going away, it’s changing how decisions get made.

If you want to track how your brand is showing up (or not) in these AI conversations, that’s what we’re building at BottleTrail. Book a demo to see if it's a fit.

Sources

• Pew Research Center – Americans’ use of ChatGPT and attitudes toward AI, Workers’ attitudes on AI in the workplace
• St. Louis Fed (Bick et al. 2024) – Real-Time Population Survey on generative AI adoption
• Elon Univ. “Imagining the Digital Future” – National Survey Jan 2025: AI usage demographics and patterns
• Foundation Inc. – ChatGPT Stats and Demographics (2024)​
• Namepepper – ChatGPT user demographics (Dec 2024)
• Market.us – Google Bard user demographics (2025)​
• Express Legal Funding – ChatGPT Usage and Trust Survey 2025
• PsyPost/PNAS – Gender and inequality in workplace ChatGPT adoption
• Consumer Reports & news sources – Misc. stats on AI chatbot adoption rates

Related Resources