Telco reputation in the AI era: why your brand is being written without you

Right now, AI systems are rewriting your brand story, and you're not in the room.

AI platforms form opinions by crawling the same spaces your customers trust most: Reddit threads, review platforms, YouTube discussions, and social media. They do not prioritise brand marketing; they prioritise authentic public sentiment.

This means your reputation inside AI conversations is being shaped by sources you do not control and may not even monitor.

Where AI learns who you are

Here's the uncomfortable truth:

When ChatGPT, Google AI, or Perplexity need to answer a question about your brand, they don't start with your press releases or marketing materials. They start with what real people are saying in the places they congregate online.

A frustrated customer venting on Reddit about your customer service carries more weight in AI training than your carefully crafted brand messaging. A YouTube video comparing network coverage in rural areas influences AI recommendations more than your coverage map PDF.

This isn't a bug in how AI works. It's a feature. AI platforms are designed to surface authentic sentiment because that's what users trust.

The three market forces reshaping expectations

Research from BCG, Accenture, the World Economic Forum, and WARC highlights three fundamental shifts driving these new expectations:

1. The Personalisation Premium Brands that win aren't chasing hype—they're earning trust through responsible use of customer data.

Winning brands aren't chasing AI hype, they're unlocking the value in the data they already hold. Personalisation is now the baseline; contextual relevance and trust are the differentiators. Consumers expect brands to use their data responsibly, counter misinformation, and maintain transparency in AI-driven experiences.

2. New Models of Engagement AI isn't just changing technology—it's changing how people discover, decide, and buy.

In the last decade, we've seen more transformation in digital engagement than in the previous fifty years. AI isn't just a technology shift, it's a cultural behaviour shift. GenAI is now embedded at every stage of the customer journey, ushering in autonomous interfaces and a zero-click internet, where discovery and decision happen simultaneously.

3. The Creative Authenticity Paradox AI can copy your tone, but it can't copy your trust.

AI scales production; humans create meaning. As algorithmic content floods every feed, authenticity has become a competitive advantage. Brands are winning when they signal originality and human touch, through creator partnerships, transparent disclosures, and verifiable creative credentials. In a world of automated abundance, the human becomes the premium.

The strategic response: reputation engineering

Winning the AI era isn't about more PR—it's about engineering trust.

This is not traditional PR. It is reputation engineering, ensuring that AI platforms find authentic, accurate, and balanced sentiment when they learn who you are.

Treat public engagement as part of brand governance, not marketing:

• Build trust in communities that influence perception such as Reddit, Trustpilot, YouTube, and major social platforms.

• Engage visibly, addressing feedback and showcasing expertise in public view.

• Encourage advocacy through genuine user testimonials that surface organically in AI-driven content.

This isn't vanity—it's visibility. AI now ranks you by credibility, not campaign spend.

The operators that master this won't just have better brand perception. They'll have the competitive advantage of appearing in AI recommendations with authentic, trusted backing.

What this looks like in practice

Operator A has spent the past 18 months actively monitoring and engaging in social conversations where AI platforms form opinions. Their presence on Reddit, YouTube, and review sites builds trust through transparency and responsiveness.

When potential customers ask AI assistants for recommendations, Operator A appears first with clear, accurate, and compelling information—backed by real customer voices.

Operator B has no meaningful presence in the online forums and review platforms where opinions are formed. Their reputation is shaped by unmonitored public discussions. Customers using AI assistants never see them as an option.

The difference? Operator A recognised that in the AI era, your brand reputation is too important to be left to chance.

In the AI era, silence isn't neutrality—it's invisibility.

Next in this series: Why Your Telco Website Is Invisible to AI (And the Two Problems You Must Fix).