AI visibility in Sri Lanka is emerging as a new measure of brand competitiveness, with a recent study revealing that artificial intelligence platforms are increasingly recommending Sri Lankan brands by name when users seek product and service recommendations.
AI visibility in Sri Lanka study reveals which brands AI recommends most often
A new report by BrandRadar tracked the performance of 198 brands across leading Large Language Models (LLMs) over a three-month period, highlighting how rapidly AI-powered search and recommendation systems are changing the way consumers discover businesses.
The AI visibility in Sri Lanka study, titled State of AI Visibility in Sri Lanka 2026, monitored brands between March and May 2026 across 18 market segments and six industries, including automotive, banking, insurance, hospitality, retail and real estate. The research evaluated brand visibility on ChatGPT, Google Gemini and Perplexity, making it one of the country’s most comprehensive studies of AI-driven brand discovery.
Rather than measuring traditional search rankings or website traffic, the report examined a different question: Which brands are actually mentioned when users ask AI platforms for recommendations?
The findings indicate that AI-generated recommendations are becoming an increasingly influential channel for consumer decision-making. As more users rely on conversational AI assistants instead of conventional search engines, appearing in AI responses is emerging as a valuable source of brand exposure.
One of the most notable findings involved Ceylinco General Insurance, whose AI visibility score surged dramatically during the study period. The company’s score increased from 28.5 in March to 83.6 in April, representing a 55-point increase in a single month—the largest movement recorded during the research.
The report also highlighted significant fluctuations within Sri Lanka’s hospitality sector. Shangri-La Colombo, which ranked as the most AI-visible hotel brand in March, disappeared entirely from AI recommendations in April before returning in May with a substantially lower ranking, demonstrating how AI-generated visibility can change within a relatively short period.
According to BrandRadar, such shifts illustrate that AI visibility is dynamic rather than permanent. Brand recommendations generated by Large Language Models are influenced by multiple factors, including publicly available digital content, brand authority, online relevance and how AI systems interpret information across the web.
The research covered nearly 200 brands across a diverse range of industries, providing one of the first detailed snapshots of how Sri Lankan companies perform within AI-powered recommendation systems. As conversational AI becomes increasingly integrated into everyday consumer behaviour, businesses are beginning to recognise that traditional search engine optimisation alone may no longer be sufficient.
The growing importance of AI visibility in Sri Lanka also reflects broader global trends. Consumers are increasingly asking AI assistants for recommendations on hotels, banks, insurance providers, vehicles and retail products, often receiving direct brand suggestions instead of browsing multiple websites.
For businesses, this represents both an opportunity and a challenge. Companies that establish stronger digital authority and produce reliable, high-quality online information are more likely to be recognised by AI platforms, while those with weaker digital footprints may become less visible despite maintaining strong positions in traditional marketing channels.
The study suggests that AI recommendation engines are gradually becoming a new gateway between consumers and brands. As adoption of conversational AI continues to grow, visibility within these platforms could become an increasingly important competitive advantage alongside conventional search rankings and social media presence.
The AI visibility in Sri Lanka report ultimately demonstrates that artificial intelligence is beginning to reshape digital brand discovery. For Sri Lankan companies, understanding how AI platforms evaluate and recommend brands may become an essential component of future marketing strategies as businesses adapt to an increasingly AI-driven digital economy.