The Review Economy Just Became the Recommendation Economy

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become the shopper’s de facto research assistant, reading Amazon and Google reviews, Reddit threads and YouTube videos before anyone opens a single tab, then handing back one synthesized answer. The platforms that built their businesses on hosting those reviews have the most to lose: AI decides which of their content reaches a buyer and which gets ignored. In May, the company updated AI Overviews and AI Mode to surface a new “Expert Advice” se