You can’t buy your way to visibility in LLMs – yet. But it’s coming.

There’s one thing everyone in tech and marketing is talking about right now:
How does my brand become visible in ChatGPT, Gemini, and the other AI models that are increasingly becoming users’ preferred way to get answers?

The truth is: Right now, you cannot pay your way to a top position inside LLMs.
There are no ads, no sponsored spots, no classic PPC models.
And that makes sense — because LLMs work fundamentally differently from search engines.

But that won’t last.

The new AI economy is inevitable

Search advertising is a 250+ billion USD industry. When users move from Google to ChatGPT, that revenue must be reinvented.
That’s why companies like OpenAI, Google, and Meta are already working on models that will allow brands to be chosen — not just seen.

And it won’t look like advertising as we know it. It will be:

1. Premium access to model capabilities and personalization

Brand-paid “slots” inside the user’s AI assistant: access to better model versions, faster responses, more precise product suggestions.

Example: A brand pays for the AI to remember its products and prioritize them when relevant to the user.

2. “Verified Brand Channels” or “AI Source Registries”

A paid registration model where brands can register as verified sources.

This would allow brands to:

• Upload content and metadata directly

• Correct errors or hallucinations

• Request updates to how the AI describes them

3. Plug-and-play API integrations with conversion fees

Instead of click-based ads, brands may pay for:

• Transactions completed by the AI (bookings, purchases, sign-ups)

• “Embedded AI commerce” where the user never leaves the interface

The AI becomes an agent, not a channel — and brands become suppliers inside its universe.

4. Performance-weighted answer ranking

LLMs may prioritize certain sources based on:

• Data quality and update frequency

• User feedback

• Past performance (conversion, satisfaction)

• Paid quality models — almost like an “AI Quality Score”

5. Insights and attribution tools for brands

AI platforms will offer dashboards where brands can see:

• How often they are mentioned in answers

• Their estimated visibility score

• Where they are losing ground to competitors

Access to this will be monetized — perhaps as a subscription like Third already offers, or through data partnerships with companies like Third.

6. Prompt-matching and targeting

Imagine a future where brands can “book” or “match” certain types of prompts.

Example: For the prompt “Which electric car is best for families?”, a car manufacturer could become the default suggestion — based on context, data, and a paid campaign.

7. RAG-powered content placement

RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) may allow brands to host custom datasets or documents that the AI can retrieve from.

This enables:

• More control over how they are represented

• The ability to pay for “enriched answers” or added context

In other words: SEM becomes GEM → Generative Engine Marketing.

Visibility starts with GEO

Until these models roll out, one thing is certain:
You won’t be visible inside AI unless your foundation is already in order.

That means:

• Structured data

• Relevant answers

• Brand authority in the semantic ecosystem

This is exactly what Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is about.

Third = the operating system for LLM marketing

At Third, we have one mission:
Ensuring that brands are not just part of the new agentic internet — but ahead of it.

We help companies:

• Monitor their visibility inside LLMs

• Identify gaps and opportunities

• Optimize content, structure, and data

• Prepare for the commercial opportunities that are coming

What we’re building is not just a tool — it’s an operating system for LLM marketing.

And it’s still early. But not for long.