Sefiani unveils Surfacd to track brands in AI search

Sefiani and its parent company, Clarity Global, have launched Surfacd, an AI visibility monitoring tool that tracks how brands appear across AI search platforms including ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot, Grok, AI Mode and AI Overviews.

The product targets a shift in how people research products and vendors. PayPal Australia research cited by Sefiani found 48% of Australians use AI for online product search, rising to 66% among those under 45.

Surfacd tracks how AI systems present a brand in generated answers and compares brand presence against competitors across common category prompts.

AI search metrics

The tool uses category-specific prompts to analyse AI-generated responses on priority topics. It assesses brand visibility and message consistency, and measures performance against named competitors within AI answers.

It also examines the sources and narratives behind AI responses, including publisher content and other third-party references AI systems draw on when summarising topics or recommending vendors.

Clarity positioned Surfacd as part of a broader investment in owned technology, and as a way to align AI search measurement with approaches used for SEO, public relations and digital analytics.

"2026 is an inflection point. AI is now fully embedded in how buyers research and shortlist vendors. As a result, leadership teams are grappling to see how their brand appears across platforms. Surfacd has been built to give marketers - particularly B2B marketers - visibility into AI search and to deliver insights that can be measured consistently within a framework already applied across SEO, PR and digital analytics," said Rachel Gilley, CEO of Clarity Global.

Who it targets

Sefiani said Surfacd is aimed at three groups: large brands seeking to defend category position and reputation as AI systems summarise and compare vendors; challenger brands using AI search as an alternative route to discovery when incumbents hold traditional SEO advantages; and senior marketing and communications leaders who want consistent reporting on AI search presence and changes over time.

In practice, the tool is designed to show which external voices shape AI answers in a category, including frequently referenced publications, analysts and commentators. Marketing and communications teams can use the outputs to prioritise outreach and content, while SEO and digital teams can identify which assets appear to have the most influence on AI visibility.

GEO service

Surfacd will also underpin Clarity's planned Generative Engine Optimisation service, due to launch in Australia at the end of March 2026. Clarity described GEO as a service for projects focused on how brands are represented and recommended during AI-driven discovery.

"Surfacd unlocks the black box of AI search, providing visibility across everything our clients already do in digital and communications activities," said Will Julian-Vicary, CTO of Clarity Global.

"By monitoring the same interfaces users rely on, we show brands how they compare to competitors and which websites are influencing the AI systems when answering questions in their category. That clarity moves marketing and communications teams from educated guesswork to insight-led planning, so they can make more impactful decisions and clearly prove results," Julian-Vicary said.

Australia focus

The launch comes as marketing and communications teams adapt to changes in search behaviour and media consumption. AI-generated summaries increasingly sit between users and original sources, reshaping which brands appear, which claims are most prominent, and which narratives become dominant.

Sefiani also pointed to research on B2B buying behaviour, citing a Clarity Global survey of UK respondents. The survey found 80% of B2B buyers spend at least an hour a week using AI for decision-making, and 65% rely on AI answers to create vendor shortlists. Sefiani said many B2B brands remain difficult to find in AI answers despite investment in SEO, PR and content.

"This tool couldn't be more timely for Australian businesses. We are a highly connected, regulated market and can see buyers moving to AI-generated overviews for decision-making, which is compressing the buying cycle. When stakeholders are building their understanding of your brand credentials, product compliance and reputation from AI overviews, brands can't afford to be misrepresented-or worse, not appear," said Mandy Galmes, managing partner, Australia, at Sefiani.

Surfacd is available to Sefiani's client base and global partners on a white-label basis. Access is controlled during the initial rollout, with pilot programs and partnerships under discussion.

"As generative search becomes the default starting point, the winners in 2026 will be the brands that can prove credibility at every touchpoint. This tool helps marketers and communicators understand how to build reputations in an integrated way-aligning earned, owned, paid and social messaging so the story is consistent everywhere a brand appears. That consistency lifts visibility, strengthens trust, and helps the brand be discovered by the right buyers, with the right information, at the right time," Galmes said.