AI Briefing: The AI search race heats up with more audit tools, ads and pending antitrust outcomes

Large language models powering AI search platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity are still largely a black box, but some CRM and SEO providers are looking to give marketers more info about how brands appear on the inside — even from the outside.

HubSpot, for example, recently debuted a free new tool called AI Search Grader, which offers a way to test how brands are perceived by large language models — starting with OpenAI’s GPT-4o model. Through a partnership with OpenAI, the feature gives companies a quick report with benchmark metrics — such as brand sentiment and share of voice — along with personalized insights about product mentions, strengths and weaknesses within a category.

According to HubSpot CMO Kipp Bodnar, the goal is to help marketers better understand how brands appear in an LLM and help them start navigating an increasingly fragmented world of search beyond Google. It also uses some of the DNA from earlier HubSpot tools like its Website Grader. However, he said some aspects will get better in the coming months. The company also hopes to expand to other LLMs, but those deals are still in talks.

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