AI Agents Are Rewriting the Internet: How Users and Brands Adapt in the New AI Era

A recent memo from OpenAI clearly states their ambition: to become the dominant interface for everything on the internet. Bold? Yes. Feasible? Maybe! As a faculty member at Cornell and an active investor in AI startups, I've been studying how AI reshapes our digital habits. Today, I'm launching a survey to better understand how users and companies are adjusting to this shift. Who leads and who lags in these evolving ecosystems? Let's unpack this transformation of … everything.

The End of Chrome and the Beginning of AI Agents

Early in the large language model (LLM) hype cycle, I noted that AGI is still a long way off. However, LLMs are becoming a new user interface. This shift creates many new opportunities for brands and micro-brands aggregated by a few giants. OpenAI will be one of them. OpenAI's ambition to become the universal interface to what we once knew as the Internet isn't surprising. If anything, they might be late. Remember Perplexity’s "Shop Like a Pro"? Their goal was to handle all shopping—from research to payment. Now OpenAI is extending that idea from Perplexity to … yes … everything. The interesting part is that it might be feasible. During my user research, one user told me he uploaded his blood test to ChatGPT. It analyzed the results, suggested supplements, and recommended a web store. The user spent over $200 at a retailer he had never visited before, simply because "ChatGPT said so." This isn’t a fringe case. It shows how ChatGPT is already extending its reach:

• OpenAI just became his personal health record — trusted with sensitive data.
• It just became his doctor — providing medical recommendations.
• It just replaced Google — suggesting where to buy.
• It also guided the purchase — skipping traditional product pages.

The Everyone’s AI Agent

Sam Altman's vision is clear: he wants to be the agent for healthcare, finance, e-commerce, and many other areas. I hear that Sam invited many startups to private dinners at his personal maison in San Francisco. Some founders described his vision as “he wants to forward integrate into our business” or "he wants to be Everyone’s Agent" — much like Amazon once wanted to be The Everything Store.

But What About Companies? Or Ecosystems?

OpenAI has a real chance of realizing this vision. We see rapid user adoption. The question is whether organizations or ecosystems can match this speed. If not, OpenAI has a winning chance. We’ve seen this before. The early internet changed how we consume media, but it took media ecosystems years to adapt. Today, AI is driving a similar transformation — and again, most companies and ecosystems are behind.

Many Industries Will Be Impacted by AI Agents

That’s why I’m doing this research. I want to find out how far users, organizations, and ecosystems have evolved. I have already looked at many areas:
• IDE — how we code — has been changed. See my conversation with a16z’s Martin Casado. User behavior is driving the industry.
• Finance — how we underwrite risk — has been changed. See my discussion with Varo Bank founder Colin Walsh. Here the industry is driving user behavior.
• E-Commerce — AI is changing how we sell and shop. It’s not yet clear who is driving whom here.

In E-Commerce, It Is Not Yet Clear How AI Agents Will Win

I’ve chosen to focus on e-commerce for this study because the power distribution is unclear:
• Users prefer answer-first experiences — powered by ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity.
• Users now bypass the homepage entirely, leading to a decline of the website.
• Brands push GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) — the art of influencing LLMs to list the brand.
• Brands create ChatGPT-like experiences on site search.
• LLMs like OpenAI and Perplexity want to integrate agent capabilities (though many technical questions remain).
• They also want the ability to place ads.

Why I Need Your Help

To track how users versus companies are adapting, I partnered with Chase Binnie from RetailWire — you may remember our Shoptalk discussion. Together, we launched a survey focused on GEO. It’s short, targeted, and the data is strictly used for research. It will help us all understand:
• How brands show up (or don’t) in AI-generated answers.
• What strategies actually move the needle.
• What tooling or support is still missing.
Whether you’re a marketer, founder, or product lead — your perspective will help. We’ll publish all findings openly and create a public playbook for working in the new AI-powered discovery ecosystem. Please take the survey here.

Crypto Market's Take:

At Crypto Market, we are acutely aware of the transformative potential of AI agents, particularly in the realm of cryptocurrency trading and market intelligence. As AI reshapes multiple industries, we offer advanced AI-powered trading bots and market analysis tools to navigate this new era with confidence. Our platform is designed to provide users with intelligent and automated solutions tailored for the future of crypto markets.

More to Read:

Learn more about our efforts to integrate AI into different sectors:
• Walmart Bets on AI Super Agents to Boost E-Commerce Growth
• The AI Gig Economy is Here and it Pays in Crypto
• Insurance-Focused AI Agent Libraries

Originally published at Forbes on July 24, 2025.

Frequently Asked Questions

How are AI agents changing e-commerce?

AI agents are redefining e-commerce by powering answer-first experiences, bypassing traditional homepages, and supporting the integration of agent capabilities, such as placing ads. Brands are adapting by leveraging GEO and creating ChatGPT-like experiences for on-site searches.

What is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)?

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) refers to the strategy brands use to influence large language models, ensuring their brand is favorably represented in AI-generated answers. This involves adapting content and marketing strategies to better align with AI-driven discovery processes.

What industries are being impacted by AI agents?

AI agents are impacting various industries, including healthcare, finance, e-commerce, and more. The technology is altering how services are provided and consumed, with AI acting as an intermediary interface in many traditional sectors.