In a recent interview with Perplexity AI published by Search Engine Journal, the company explains how AI search systems actually retrieve and assemble answers. Perplexity emphasizes that modern AI search is not guessing or free-forming responses. It retrieves information from trusted sources, ranks them based on relevance and authority, then synthesizes answers in real time.
For brands, this means visibility depends less on classic ranking signals and more on being clearly understood, easily retrievable, and consistently cited. Clean information architecture, strong entity signals, authoritative content, and up-to-date sources all increase the likelihood of being selected. Perplexity also highlights the importance of factual clarity and source credibility, since AI systems prioritize content they can confidently reference. The shift pushes brands to optimize not just for clicks, but for inclusion inside AI-generated answers themselves.
