May 26, 2026
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2 minute read
What AIs Know About You From Search Engines – And Whether You Decide.
SEO decided how companies are found. Gen AI decides how companies are understood.
Insight
The currency of digital B2B has shifted. Not for the better.
From attention to intention.
From attention to intention.
Intent is the new currency
1. Attention is a weak signal
2. Intent is the new currency
3. The interface is the decision space
4. Intent drives markets
Digital marketing over the last two decades has been based on a simple principle: attention is the scarce resource. Whoever wins it, wins market share. An entire infrastructure has been built on this – generating reach, directing attention, measuring interaction, scaling.
This logic still works. But the economic value of this attention has fundamentally changed.
This logic still works. But the economic value of this attention has fundamentally changed.
Attention is a weak signal
Clicks, views, and dwell time show that someone has engaged with content. They say nothing about why. A user might click out of curiosity. Because they are researching. Or because they are close to making a decision. These states look the same in the system.
This leads to a structural problem: organizations optimize for metrics that are not linked to decision-making situations. Reach is equated with relevance. Interaction with purchasing willingness. In practice, there is a significant gap between the two.
This leads to a structural problem: organizations optimize for metrics that are not linked to decision-making situations. Reach is equated with relevance. Interaction with purchasing willingness. In practice, there is a significant gap between the two.
Whoever misses intent competes on the wrong field. For attention — not decisions.
Intent is the new currency
Intention is fundamentally different from attention. It is explicit, contextualized, and goal-directed.
A user who formulates a clear question makes visible: in which phase they are, what information is missing, and which criteria are relevant. Decisions are not made solely through information, but through the reduction of uncertainty. Intent is the signal that this process has already begun.
This makes intent a qualitatively different category. It's closer to the decision. It's interpretable. It has immediate relevance to action.
Attention can be scaled. Intent cannot. It only arises at specific moments. It cannot be created – but it can be recognized, structured, and responded to.
A user who formulates a clear question makes visible: in which phase they are, what information is missing, and which criteria are relevant. Decisions are not made solely through information, but through the reduction of uncertainty. Intent is the signal that this process has already begun.
This makes intent a qualitatively different category. It's closer to the decision. It's interpretable. It has immediate relevance to action.
Attention can be scaled. Intent cannot. It only arises at specific moments. It cannot be created – but it can be recognized, structured, and responded to.
The interface is the decision space
The first relevant contact with a brand is rarely personal. It happens through a digital interface—unaccompanied, without sales context, without a prepared agenda.
The user comes with an intention that is often not yet fully formulated. They are not looking for a solution. They are looking for direction. The central question at this moment is not: What does this company offer? But rather: Does this company understand my problem—and can it help me structure it?
This question is answered quickly. Often within a few seconds.
Classic interfaces aren't built for this moment. They can display content, list options, delve into information. They cannot capture context. They cannot clarify ambiguous questions. They cannot actively guide through a decision.
This isn't an implementation problem. It's a structural one. Websites were built for a time when users sought information. Today, they seek decision support.
The user comes with an intention that is often not yet fully formulated. They are not looking for a solution. They are looking for direction. The central question at this moment is not: What does this company offer? But rather: Does this company understand my problem—and can it help me structure it?
This question is answered quickly. Often within a few seconds.
Classic interfaces aren't built for this moment. They can display content, list options, delve into information. They cannot capture context. They cannot clarify ambiguous questions. They cannot actively guide through a decision.
This isn't an implementation problem. It's a structural one. Websites were built for a time when users sought information. Today, they seek decision support.
AI systems can recognize, interpret, and respond to intent signals in real time. This is the true lever of the intention economy.
Intent drives markets
AI systems can recognize, interpret, and respond to intent signals in real time. This is the true lever of the intention economy. Reach is no longer decisive—proximity to the decision is. Traffic is no longer relevant—the moment uncertainty is reduced is.
This lever only works if the interface is built for it. If it captures context. If it carries the brand's name. If it makes intent visible—not just for the user, but for sales and marketing.
This is the difference between a website and a branded AI interface.
This lever only works if the interface is built for it. If it captures context. If it carries the brand's name. If it makes intent visible—not just for the user, but for sales and marketing.
This is the difference between a website and a branded AI interface.
Call to think
At what moment do you become relevant—and who defines that moment?