The rise of agentic AI — autonomous systems that can pursue goals and interact with websites on behalf of users — is reshaping how brands are discovered, represented, and valued online. According to James LePage, Director of AI Engineering at Automattic and co-lead of the WordPress AI Team, this evolution may erode traditional brand differentiators for many websites and content creators. The core issue is that agentic AI interacts with your content differently than human visitors do, and without adaptation, that can “flatten” what made your brand unique.
This article explains the mechanisms behind this shift, explores why it matters for brand strategy and SEO, and outlines actionable steps brands can take to retain visibility and influence in an increasingly agentic world.
What Is Agentic AI?
Agentic AI refers to autonomous AI systems that can execute multi-step tasks, make decisions, and perform operations without direct human intervention. These agents don’t just respond to simple prompts; they may act on users’ behalf to:
- Perform product comparisons
- Make purchases or bookings
- Summarize and present information
- Interact with content based on individual user goals
Unlike traditional search or conversational AI, agentic AI operates with autonomy, context memory, and task execution, sometimes even acting like an economic agent rather than a simple search tool.
How Agentic AI Interacts With Websites
LePage explains that as agentic AI grows in sophistication, websites increasingly function as data sources rather than as experiences. Traditional SEO assumes users visit a site, engage with its brand experience, and form impressions based on design, messaging, and visual presence. Under agentic AI, however:
- Agents extract the raw content and data your site provides.
- They reinterpret that data through their own logic and presentation formats.
- The agent becomes the primary interface between your content and the user.
In this model, the brand’s voice, style, and user experience can be suppressed or ignored entirely in favor of concise, utility-focused summaries.
Brand Flattening Explained
The key consequence of this shift is what LePage and others describe as brand flattening — the diminishing of distinct brand elements when content is summarized or synthesized by an AI agent. When agents represent your content:
- They may strip out visual design and narrative cues.
- They prioritize informational content over brand story or messaging.
- Your content is placed alongside competitors’ content within the same synthesized output.
This process tends to treat all content largely the same, making it difficult for brands to stand out textually when an agent focuses on concise answers and utility.
Why Flattening Threatens Brand Identity
Brand identity traditionally depends on:
- Visual presentation (logos, design, layout)
- Tone of voice and narrative
- Contextual storytelling
- Unique experiential elements
But agentic AI doesn’t see these elements the way humans do. It focuses on informational data points — the facts, numbers, and structured text — which can make distinct brands look similar in AI-generated summaries. This reduces the emotional and experiential elements that differentiate one brand from another.
Who Is Most Affected?
Informational and Media Sites
For sites whose main value lies in content (e.g., news, reviews, educational resources), agentic AI may completely change how users encounter the information. Instead of driving direct human traffic, these sites may see their content mined, summarized, and presented without readers ever visiting. Without the traditional engagement metrics (time on page, scroll depth, view-through), brand authority and monetization models — including ads and subscriptions — are at risk.
Service and Professional Sites
Service-oriented sites that rely on voice, trust, and differentiation (e.g., consultancy, specialized services) may find it harder to convey brand values when an agent prioritizes straightforward information extraction.
Commercial and E-Commerce Sites
LePage notes that commerce sites may benefit from agentic AI because agents can compare prices, check stock, and automate purchase decisions. For these sites, the flattening of brand context may be less impactful if the focus is on utility and transaction rather than brand storytelling.
The Mechanics Behind Brand Flattening
Agentic AI can change brand visibility in several technical ways:
1. Content Extraction for Synthesis
Agents scan pages, extract key points, and synthesize responses independent of visual layout. This means:
- Branding elements that exist outside the text (colors, design) are irrelevant.
- Only structured and extractable content influences the agent’s output.
2. Algorithmic Interpretation
AI agents interpret content using their own models — not a brand’s narrative framework. The agent’s internal logic determines relevance, not how a site wants to be perceived.
3. Summarization Across Brands
When presented with similar content from multiple brands, an agent may merge or juxtapose points from each into one answer, effectively diluting individual brand voices in favour of utility and broad information.
Implications for SEO and Visibility
1. Traditional Metrics May Decline
As more information is delivered via synthesized AI summaries, direct site visits may decline. This reduces exposure to brand visuals, messaging, and conversion pathways that rely on engagement.
2. Attribution Challenges Increase
When content is consumed via an agent rather than a page, tracking and measuring SEO performance becomes harder. Tools like Google Analytics may not capture who saw what and where the interaction began.
3. Content Needs to Be Designed for Agents
Static content that merely meets keyword or topical needs may no longer suffice. Instead, content should be:
- Structured for easy extraction
- Rich with entity and context markers
- Designed with AI interpretation in mind
This resembles principles of Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), where content is optimized not just for search indexing, but for AI retrieval and synthesis.
Reframing Brand Strategy for an Agentic World
To counter potential flattening, brands need to rethink how they present themselves and engage with users in the age of AI mediation.
1. Embrace AI-Enabled Experiences
Rather than only publishing static content, brands can leverage AI within their own platforms to create:
- Personalized data visualizations
- Interactive product configurators
- AI-driven content flows tailored to user goals
These experiences add value beyond pure information, making direct engagement more compelling.
2. Develop Brand Agents
LePage argues that websites could deploy their own AI agents that serve as brand representatives to visiting AI agents. Such agents would:
- Communicate brand ethos to other agents
- Clarify brand constraints and offerings
- Negotiate outcomes on behalf of the site’s interests
This agent-to-agent communication model could preserve brand voice even when intermediated by autonomous systems.
3. Reinforce Attribution and Trust Signals
Brands should ensure their structured data, entity markers, and authoritative signals are present and up-to-date so that AI systems have clear, trustworthy data to reference. This could include:
- Rich schema markup
- Clearly referenced citations
- Consistent use of brand vocabulary and identifiers
These elements help agents distinguish one brand’s content from another’s.
FAQs: Agentic AI and Brand Differentiation
Q1: What does “brand flattening” mean in the context of agentic AI?
Brand flattening refers to the loss of distinctive brand identity when AI agents synthesize and present content without capturing visual design, narrative voice, or experiential elements. The result is content presented more for utility than unique brand expression.
Q2: Why do informational sites face more risk than e-commerce sites?
Informational sites depend on user engagement with content for monetization and branding. When agents deliver answers without visits, sites miss out on exposure, ad impressions, subscriptions, and other engagement-driven revenue.
Q3: Can brands adapt to remain visible to agentic systems?
Yes. Brands can adapt by optimizing content for AI extraction, creating AI-driven experiences, and deploying brand agents that communicate brand values and constraints to visiting AI systems.
Q4: Is this shift happening now or in the future?
It’s already in motion. As agentic AI evolves, synthesis and autonomous decision-making are increasingly part of how users interact with content.*
Q5: How should brands balance AI optimization with human audience needs?
Content should serve both AI agents and human readers. Structuring for AI doesn’t mean ignoring human usability — organizations can create content that is both machine interpretable and engaging for people.
Conclusion: Adapting to an Agentic Web Without Losing Brand Identity
Agentic AI represents a transformation in how information is consumed. It elevates efficiency and autonomy, but at the risk of flattening brand experiences into raw data points unless brands adapt. In this emerging reality:
- Static content alone won’t differentiate your brand in synthesized outputs.
- Experiences, interactive features, and personalization become essential.
- Brand agents and structured trust signals help preserve brand identity in AI-mediated interactions.
The transition to an agentic web isn’t just technical — it’s strategic. Brands that embrace agentic frameworks, integrate AI into their engagement strategies, and amplify their unique value can thrive. Those who hesitate risk becoming background data sources instead of front-of-mind brand partners in a world where AI agents increasingly shape consumer decisions.
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