Imagine a future where you never have to scroll through endless search results again. Instead, you simply ask a question and get a precise, trustworthy answer delivered directly to you by an intelligent assistant. Sounds amazing, right? But what does this mean for the internet as we know it?
According to Suliman Gaouda, Regional Vice-President, Middle East & Africa at Sitecore Middle East, the internet's future isn't about pages of links anymore. It's about intelligent agents – voice assistants, context-aware partners, and AI summarizers – that listen, digest, and respond. We're shifting from browsing to briefing, where clear answers trump endless options. Think of it: instead of typing into Google, you're having a conversation with a smart system that already knows what you need. This is more than just a small change; it's a complete rewrite of how we interact with computers.
Brands that stubbornly cling to old-fashioned ideas about clicks and impressions are in serious danger of becoming invisible. In this new world, digital assistants are the gatekeepers, deciding what information reaches their users. So, how do you get past the gatekeepers?
The New Front Door: Assistant-Mediated Journeys
Forget starting your customer journey on Google. In the future, it might begin with Alexa, Siri, or some even more advanced AI. Users won’t be sifting through search results; they'll expect their assistants to cut through the noise, summarize information, and provide authoritative answers. Gaouda emphasizes that "assistant-mediated journeys are fast becoming the new entry point for engagement." The goal isn't just clicks, but ensuring your content is easily understood by machines, accurate, and clear.
Brands need to shift their thinking. It's not just about how humans consume content, but how digital agents interpret, summarize, and curate your message. Content transforms from a static asset into a structured system – indexed, semantic, and modular. The brands that prioritize clarity and consistency will rise to the top of the "voice feed" of tomorrow. It's about making your information machine-readable, well-organized, and accurate.
And this isn't some far-off fantasy. A McKinsey report revealed that a whopping 71% of organizations already use AI in at least one business function. That's up from 65% just the year before, showing how quickly AI is changing how we access and use information. But here's where it gets controversial... With AI doing the talking, how do we ensure it's saying the right things?
Trust, Transparency, and the AI Differentiator
The KPMG 2025 Customer Experience (CEE) Report highlights a key trend: trust, transparency, and empathy are back in style. UAE brands, for example, saw a rebound in customer experience scores, outpacing the global average. Gonçalo Traquina, Partner and Head of Customer Transformation at KPMG Lower Gulf, notes that while technology investments are paying off, success hinges on making AI feel human. Empathy isn't a luxury; it's a key differentiator for building trust and delivering real impact.
Gaouda agrees: "Today, being seen is about being trusted by digital assistants and agents. Brands should focus on sharing reliable, consistent information and avoid marketing ‘noise.’ Be transparent, show where your information comes from, and respect privacy.” This means building credibility as your main currency. In an AI-driven world, every fact, claim, and message must align with truth and empathy, not hype.
The New Commerce: From Question to Checkout
One of the most powerful implications of this briefing-first approach is a much faster path from question to purchase. Gaouda predicts that digital assistants will allow people to go directly from asking a question to making a purchase, eliminating extra steps. Imagine: you ask your assistant where to buy the best coffee beans, and it not only tells you but also completes the purchase for you, all in one seamless interaction.
This opens doors to new revenue models, from subscriptions and personalized bundles to direct purchases through the assistant. And the timing couldn't be better. A staggering 90% of GCC CEOs expect revenue growth this year, and 70% believe GenAI will boost profitability within 12 months. "The region’s confidence in AI creates the perfect environment for UAE brands to lead the next wave of intelligent experiences," Gaouda adds. "By connecting their content and services to these assistants, they can lead the way in creating smarter, more personal customer experiences.”
Rethinking Infrastructure for the Agent Era
The shift to briefing isn't just about changing interfaces; it's about fundamentally rethinking infrastructure. Businesses need systems that are connected, secure, and flexible. This means embracing real-time data, robust information governance, and tools that enable seamless collaboration between platforms. While strong data privacy laws and sovereign cloud frameworks provide a solid foundation, Gaouda cautions that compliance alone isn't enough. "Companies that build open and well-managed systems will be ready for the next generation of digital assistants.” Brands need to rethink their data architecture to enable assistants to query, interpret, and act responsibly and in context. And this is the part most people miss... it's not just about having the data, it's about having the right data, structured in a way that AI can understand and use ethically.
Ethics, Regulation: When AI Speaks for You
When digital assistants become the voice of your brand, accountability takes on a whole new dimension. Gaouda stresses, “When AI assistants speak for your brand, you must be responsible for what they say.” Even with strong data and AI governance in place, self-regulation is crucial. "Companies should be open about how they use AI, keep records of interactions, check for bias, and always have people involved in important decisions.” Transparency, oversight, and human judgment must underpin all AI-mediated communication. Regular audits, bias detection, and clear data provenance will become essential for both compliance and credibility.
The Road Ahead
The internet isn't going away, but it's evolving. As AI agents mediate what we see, hear, and buy, visibility will depend on being the trusted voice in the assistant's ear. Those who structure, govern, and humanize their content will be heard first. Those who don't risk fading into algorithmic silence. Gaouda concludes, “The brands that build open, governed ecosystems will be the ones that can plug easily into next-generation assistants and experiences.”
So, what do you think? Will the human touch truly matter in an AI-driven world, or will algorithms ultimately dictate our experiences? And who should be held responsible when an AI assistant makes a mistake? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
