A new benchmark has emerged for measuring how often AI chatbots recommend specific brands. AI 500 is the largest public database tracking which brands are mentioned and recommended by major AI models like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. Beyond search engine optimization (SEO), AI optimization (AIO) is becoming the new battleground for marketing.
AI 500, a project unveiled on Product Hunt, systematically organizes the ranking of brands recommended by AI models across various industries. When a user asks, “What are the best project management tools?”, each AI often recommends different brands. AI 500’s core function is quantifying this difference. According to an Axios report, ChatGPT is considering introducing an advertising model, Claude is specializing in code generation, and Gemini is strengthening its integration with the Google ecosystem. Because each model has a different strategy, biases arise in the brands they recommend. For example, Gemini tends to mention Google Workspace-related tools more often, while ChatGPT has a higher rate of recommending generally well-known brands. Understanding these differences is the starting point for brand strategy in the AI era. Credofy selected 15 AI brand visibility tracking tools as of 2026, demonstrating the rapid growth of this field. Companies are now starting to monitor in real-time how many times their brand appears in AI responses and how their mention frequency compares to competitors.
The influence of AI recommendation algorithms is expected to grow further. The traditional search engine ranking competition is expanding into AI chatbot recommendation ranking competition. Brand managers should regularly check benchmarks like AI 500 and revise their strategies to ensure their content is well reflected in AI learning data. In an era where AI is the first point of contact with customers, the paradigm of brand visibility management is changing.
FAQ
Q: What data is AI 500 based on?
A: It collects data by asking major AI models like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini the same questions to see which brands they recommend, and then ranks them by industry. It is a public database that anyone can access.
Q: How is AI brand visibility different from SEO?
A: SEO optimizes exposure in search engine results pages, while AI brand visibility optimizes the frequency with which a brand is mentioned or recommended in chatbot conversations. The learning data and reasoning methods of AI models are key variables.
Q: What can companies do to improve their AI recommendation ranking?
A: They should improve the quality of their official website and technical documentation, and strengthen their PR strategy to be frequently cited in authoritative media. Since AI models prioritize reliable sources, providing structured data and clear brand information is key.