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CBVI:2026 China Brand AI Visibility Index

AI Horizon · China Brand AI Visibility Index

CBVI:2026 China Brand AI Visibility Index

Is your brand present in AI's answers?

When consumers ask AI—"Recommend a cost-effective new energy vehicle," "Which phone brand has the best camera," "Which domestic skincare brand is worth buying"—does your brand appear in AI's responses? Is it the first recommendation, or is it not mentioned at all?

This is not just a marketing topic; it is an unfolding business reality. In an era where AI is increasingly becoming the primary gateway for consumer decisions, a brand's "presence" in AI answers is emerging as a new variable determining market share.

The China Brand AI Visibility Index (CBVI) was created precisely to measure this "presence."

I. What kind of index is this?

CBVI is the first brand AI visibility assessment system in China that uses real output data from AI large language models as its sole evaluation criterion.

It does not rely on market research, cross-reference brand rankings, or consumer questionnaires. Instead, it directly "asks AI"—sending standardized queries to 15 mainstream global AI large language models, recording which brands are mentioned, how they are described, which brands are placed first in recommendations, and generating a visibility score for each brand in the AI cognitive world.

In short: It's not humans evaluating brands, but how AI "sees" brands.

II. Quantifying brand "presence" in the AI world from three dimensions

CBVI creates a three-dimensional "AI presence portrait" for each brand:

Breadth Visibility — How widely is the brand "seen" by AI?

The frequency and scope of brand mentions across multiple models, languages, and scenarios. This includes cross-model mention rate, scenario coverage, and language distribution balance. Breadth determines a brand's "appearance rate" in the AI world.

Quality Visibility — How well is the brand "presented" by AI?

The accuracy of information when a brand is mentioned, recommendation priority, and depth of authoritative source citations. This includes first-mention rate, core fact accuracy, frequency of AI hallucinations, and authoritative source citation rate. Quality determines a brand's "credibility" in the AI world.

Stability — How reliable is the brand's AI presence?

The sustainability and resilience of a brand's AI visibility over time and across different model environments. This includes quarterly fluctuation coefficient, cross-model consistency, and shock resistance. Stability determines a brand's "risk resilience" in the AI world.

III. Covering 14 major industries and approximately 2,100 representative brands

The inaugural CBVI Panoramic Ranking covers 14 major industries, 68 sub-sectors, and approximately 2,100 representative brands in the Chinese market:

Technology & Internet · Automotive & Mobility · Consumer Electronics & Home Appliances · Consumer Goods & Retail · Finance & Investment · Biomedicine & Health · New Energy & Environmental Protection · High-End Manufacturing & Industry · Real Estate & Construction · Transportation & Logistics · Energy & Resources · Agriculture & Food Industry Chain · Culture & Tourism · Education & Research

Data collection spans 15 mainstream global AI large language models and is conducted simultaneously in 70 languages, including Chinese, English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Japanese, and Korean.

CBVI adopts a dual-layer release system: "Annual Assessment + Quarterly Check-ins." The annual comprehensive report provides full rankings and in-depth analysis; quarterly briefs track AI visibility fluctuations for key brands.

IV. Who is this index for?

Brand Managers: Diagnose your brand's AI visibility level, benchmark against competitors, and develop GEO optimization strategies. In the AI era, brand building includes not only traditional mindshare but also "cognitive positioning" within AI knowledge networks.

Investment Institutions: Assess a brand's potential competitiveness and cognitive risks under the new AI traffic paradigm. A brand's AI visibility is becoming a new dimension in intangible asset valuation.

Marketing & Communications Agencies: Provide clients with AI visibility diagnostics and GEO strategy optimization services, opening new growth tracks beyond traditional SEO/SEM.

Industry Associations: Monitor the overall visibility and voice of your industry's brands in the global AI ecosystem, providing data support for industry-wide brand globalization.

V. How CBVI can be used

Scenario 1: Brand AI Visibility Diagnosis

Using the CBVI three-dimensional radar chart, brands can intuitively understand their overall presence in the AI world:

• High breadth visibility but low quality visibility? — The brand is widely mentioned, but descriptions are generic and lack authoritative source backing.
• High quality visibility but low breadth visibility? — The brand is accurately recommended in specific scenarios, but overall "appearance rate" is insufficient, limiting user exposure.
• Low stability score? — The brand's AI presence fluctuates significantly, lacking a sustained supply of authoritative content.

Scenario 2: Competitive Benchmarking Analysis

Select competitor brands in the same category to generate a comparative AI visibility radar chart. Why are competitors more frequently recommended first by AI? Is it due to denser authoritative media coverage or more complete structured content? Benchmarking helps brands identify differentiated competitive opportunities.

Scenario 3: AI Cognitive Assessment for Global Brands

Use language coverage metrics to evaluate a brand's AI visibility in overseas target markets. Is the brand widely recommended in domestic AI models but equally present in key languages like English and Spanish? Before going global, first see "how AI sees you."

Scenario 4: GEO Strategy Optimization

Based on diagnostic weaknesses, develop targeted optimization plans:

• Insufficient breadth? — Strengthen multi-language, multi-scenario content supply.
• Insufficient quality? — Enhance authoritative source citations and improve information structuring and citability.
• Insufficient stability? — Establish a sustained content publishing mechanism to counter the "timestamp weight decay" of AI knowledge bases.

VI. Inaugural Panoramic Ranking Released

The first 2026 edition of the AI Horizon · China Brand AI Visibility Panoramic Ranking has been officially released, creating a comprehensive map of Chinese brands in the AI cognitive world.

In areas such as new energy vehicles, 5G communication, consumer electronics, and home appliances, some Chinese brands have formed a "cognitive parasitism" effect in their core categories—AI-generated answers will appear incomplete if they do not reference these brands' information. At the same time, a large number of brands remain in a state of "insufficient AI presence"—with low mention rates in mainstream AI models, especially requiring urgent improvement in visibility in non-Chinese languages.

VII. How to Obtain More Data?

• The CBVI annual overall ranking and industry sub-rankings are publicly released on the index's official website and partner platforms, providing visual charts and data downloads.
• Participating brands can apply for customized diagnostic reports through official channels.
• Quarterly newsletters are pushed to subscribed users on a targeted basis.

"Traffic can be purchased, search rankings can be bid on, but AI's trusted recommendations can only be earned through long-term cognitive asset building."

— Pang Pei, Chief Designer of the AI Cognitive Index (AICI) Evaluation System

Publishing Organizations

• World Intelligence Organization (WIO) / AI Index Research Institute (a global non-profit organization registered with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, holding U.S. federal 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status)
• Zhongshi Xinying Internet TV GEO Research Institute (a subsidiary of the Central Newsreel and Documentary Film Studio Group under China Central Radio and Television)
• WICOWEB Global AI Cognitive Research Center
• Beijing North Future Vocational Skills Assessment Center (holding a nationwide foreign-related survey license issued by the National Bureau of Statistics)
• Jingshi TV