KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 6): Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) need to pay greater attention to how they appear in artificial intelligence (AI)-generated search results as consumers increasingly turn to AI tools to research products, services and companies, according to digital marketing agency Cleverus head of business growth Lawmence Wong.
Speaking at a panel at Alliance Bank BizSmart Business Conference, Wong said the shift in consumer behaviour means businesses can no longer focus solely on their visibility on Google or social media as potential customers are increasingly asking AI tools for information and recommendations.
The challenge, he said, is not just whether a business is mentioned by AI but whether it is being represented accurately and whether its competitors are being recommended instead.
“AI visibility is important. AI mentioned who or not, but to us we think that you need to go one step further because it's not really about AI mentioning you or not only; it's whether AI mentioned your information accurately, correctly or not, or whether it is positively your reputation good or not,” said Wong.
He cited a furniture company as an example, saying the business appeared prominently when AI tools were asked about furniture-related keywords. However, when the query was changed to ask for recommendations, the AI tool recommended the company's competitors instead.
“So if you are checking on the mention only, checking about visibility, yes, you can be mentioned, but the customer might still go to other clients because they are mentioned,” he said.
Wong also highlighted the risk of AI tools surfacing outdated information about businesses.
In one case involving an e-commerce company, he said the company had updated its return policy on its website but an AI tool continued to provide customers with the old information.
The AI had sourced the outdated policy from a third-party website, rather than the company's own website, he said.
This could create problems when customers rely on inaccurate information and subsequently approach the business expecting terms that are no longer applicable, Wong said.
He said businesses should also establish standard operating procedures for how employees use AI, rather than treating AI as an individual skill.
Different employees using the same AI tool in different ways could produce inconsistent results, he said, adding that businesses should turn recurring AI-related tasks into defined processes.
Wong said this would allow businesses to use AI more consistently while potentially increasing productivity and reducing costs.
The panel session was focused on The Invisible Backbone: Technology, Infrastructure & Cross-Border Growth and featured Wong, shipping company EasyParcel CEO Clarence Leong and OneCredit co-founder and CEO Liew Tian Rong. The session was moderated by Asian Century Podcast host Bob Low.