If you’ve been trying to figure out how your brand shows up in AI search (or why it doesn’t), we’ve been working on something that can help. Next week at MAICON, we’re unveiling our new AI Brand Visibility Audit.
Here’s the punchline: most brands have no idea how they show up when a buyer asks ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini who to trust. This isn’t vanity. It’s pipeline. Your next customer asked AI for a recommendation and you weren’t in the answer. That should set off alarms.
What the audit gives you is that moment in a snapshot. How often you’re mentioned. Where you rank on different AI platforms. And it already shows how fragmented the landscape is.
That’s why I’m fired up to bring this to MAICON next week in Cleveland, October 14 to 16. If you haven’t registered yet, use code LEVEL200 for $200 off. Click here to register.
If you’re coming to MAICON, we’ll be running these audits live at our booth. That includes competitor comparisons, sentiment analysis, and clear steps to improve your AI visibility. Even better, you can talk through your results with our team and walk away with a clear plan, not just a report.
Want to lock in your spot? Pre-register here to reserve your audit and skip the line.
Now let’s get into this week’s stories.
Patrick Patterson
CEO at Level Agency
Good Enough Isn't
“There is no second stable state.”
How do you lead when change never settles? In our last episode of Good Enough Isn’t, Dr. Bruce Fraser put it simply:
“With generative AI there is no second stable state. People have to adjust their threshold for chaos. That’s what we call cognitive flexibility, and it’s what we need to be cultivating.”
We explore how higher ed is grappling with that question and what it means for anyone trying to steer teams, brands, or systems through constant disruption.
Sora: Slippery, Addictive, and Suddenly Real A Verge editor spent hours creating videos with OpenAI’s Sora, and couldn’t stop. What started as curiosity turned into a creative obsession. The tool’s precision and realism mark a turning point in generative video. Read more
Pilot Purgatory: Why AI Ambitions Stall A new survey shows most marketers are stuck in AI pilot projects that never go live. The main culprits: lack of integration plans, leadership alignment, and measurable outcomes. Read more
Salesforce Bets Big on Trust in AI Agents Salesforce is rolling out new standards to make its AI agents more transparent, predictable, and secure. These include user consent features and clearer audit trails. Read more
OpenAI DevDay: ChatGPT Just Became a Platform OpenAI is turning ChatGPT into an app layer. They dropped a new SDK, a toolkit for building autonomous agents, and live integrations with Canva, Spotify, and Zillow.
The Reinforcement Gap: Why Some AI Skills Leap Ahead Certain AI skills like image generation and translation are improving quickly, while others like reasoning lag behind. Researchers call this disparity the "reinforcement gap." Read more
Gemini’s New Interface Google’s Gemini app is getting a redesigned interface and tighter integration across Android. The update aims to make Gemini a more intuitive, everyday assistant. Read more
Deep dive: AI
ChatGPT's Instant Checkout could redefine online transactions
OpenAI’s new Instant Checkout lets users complete purchases inside a chat. You ask for a product, get a recommendation, and buy it, all in one interaction. No cart. No redirect. No website handoff.
The tech behind it is open-source, and integrations with platforms like Shopify are coming fast. This changes how marketers should think about conversion. If people can buy in the same place they discover, the whole funnel compresses.
This also shifts the discoverability game. Product data matters more than bids. Relevance wins. If you sell anything online, now’s the time to ask: what happens when the storefront is a conversation?
Why the best marketers are using AI as a draft, not a crutch
AI tools can accelerate content creation and provide a wide range of creative options. But the quality of outcomes still depends on the thinking behind them. The most effective marketing happens when teams use AI to surface possibilities, then apply experience and insight to choose what actually moves people.
Sharpen your instincts around what fits the brand, what aligns with the strategy, and what feels true to the audience. That’s where skilled marketers make the difference. AI expands the starting point, but judgment sharpens the result.
Leaders should focus on building systems that support creative decision-making, not just creative volume.
Comet by Perplexity Comet is an AI-native browser that acts like a research assistant, content helper, and workflow tool. It launched in July for Max subscribers and is now free to all users.
Why I recommend it: Comet makes web work faster and smarter. It can summarize long pages, draft follow-ups, automate small tasks, and surface related insights based on what you are reading.
Unlike a standalone chatbot, it stays with you across tabs and builds context as you go. For growth teams juggling research, content, and decision-making, it cuts down on switching costs and helps turn curiosity into output.
Ready to turn AI into ROI?
Level Agency is conducting a research study to understand how organizations are preparing for and adopting AI.
We’re collecting insights from teams across industries and we’d love your input. The survey takes 5 minutes and is designed to give your team a pulse on your AI readiness.
Once we’ve wrapped the study, we’ll share a full report with key findings and industry benchmarks to all respondents.
Special Bonuses:
Complimentary 90-day Action Plan: Organizations with at least 5 respondents will receive a free current-state assessment and a 90-day action plan to accelerate adoption.
Free 30-Minute Consultation: The first 10 responding organizations will receive a complimentary 30-minute consultation to discuss a use case and explore potential solutions.
