5 Ways AI Agents Are Already Changing Search

AI agents are on the rise. If you have questions about how they might impact your customers and your brand, then this post is for you.

Scan the highlights from a breakthrough conversation with Yext's Chief Data Officer, Christian J. Ward, and Editorial Strategy Manager, Lauryn Chamberlain. Together, they unpack:

• What is an AI agent, exactly?

• The interplay between AI agents and search technology

• How AI agents use knowledge graphs to operate intelligently

• Real customer success stories and use cases with agentic AI

• How AI agents are reshaping customer interactions and competition

• How to tell if an AI agent is right for your brand

You can watch the entire virtual event on-demand for even more nuance (run time: 16:45).

What's happening: AI agents aren't just chatbots. Now, they can act on behalf of customers and patients (e.g., booking tickets, submitting forms, managing tasks). These agents operate in a "continuous game" rather than a "discrete game." This means they learn from and adapt to their users' unique needs and preferences.

As the differences between classic, AI search, and agentic AI fade, expect search to shift from a list of links to a set of conversational interactions.

How to adapt:

• Prepare for AI agents by structuring data in a knowledge graph. Knowledge graphs make it easy for agents to retrieve accurate, relevant information for customers.

• Use schema markup so it's easy for AI agents to work with objective requests (e.g., book an appointment during store hours) and subjective queries (e.g., Recommend the top products).

• Keep your brand information clean and up-to-date so it can surface accurately and consistently with AI agents.

Ward reveals, search and AI are merging. That will happen in the next six months. Amazons already come out with Alexa+. And while well still have a classic search window, most of the artificial intelligence being built now has the vision toward that merger. Siri, Alexa, and all these platforms will be so imbued with agentic capabilities that the adoption curve is going to accelerate.

What's happening: AI platforms and AI assistants like Alexa+ and Google Assistant now have advanced agentic features. Customers can use them to make reservations, order groceries, or purchase other items. People are using these agentic tools because they're easy to talk to and they do more than answer questions. AI agents can take action for people, much like a personal assistant.

How to adapt:

• Expect widespread use, and expect it faster than you think.

• Use structuredknowledge graphs to make sure your brand data and unstructured content are compatible with emerging agent ecosystems.

• Engage early adopters by adding agentic features into customer-facing services (e.g., retail, healthcare).

Ward predicts, once you add that agent layer to AI platforms, you're going to see acceleration in adoption because people are literally going to think, Wait a second. This thing can make my reservation for dinner on Friday? Amazing!

What's happening: By the end of 2026, the majority of traffic to websites will come from AI agents, not humans. Agents need to find clean, structured data to recognize it as the right information about your brand. If they can't find it, your brand won't show up with AI agents (and you'll miss chances to build preference with them.)

How to adapt:

• AI looks for clear, consistent information, so keep your brand information up-to-date across your website, listings, social media, and reviews.

• Use tools likeScout for competitive benchmarking and identifying optimization opportunities.

• If you're using agentic AI in a regulated industry, make compliance and risk management a top priority.

Ward predicts, "whether you're ready for it or not, the most dominant traffic coming to your website within the next eighteen months will be agents, not humans. Those agents will be working on behalf of humans, but far fewer customers will be visiting your site."

What's happening: Industries like retail, healthcare, and financial services are moving quickly to put agentic AI to work. Their investments will help AI agents handle complex customer requests better and faster. Early examples include Perplexity's conversational browser and Grok's real-time data synthesis from X.

How to adapt:

• Prioritize compliance and risk management for agentic systems in regulated industries.

• Identify industry-specific use cases (e.g., personalized product recommendations, healthcare scheduling). Then, develop them with other structured data solutions you tailor to industry needs, regulations, andcustomer journey behaviors.

• Collaborate with partners to mix agentic features and functions into existing workflows.

Ward believes, "Retail, healthcare, financial services — all of these customer journeys are going to start to leveraging agentic AI. It's really just going to come down to which brands hook it up faster and make it easier for AI tools to use."

What's happening: Knowledge graphs are the foundation for agentic AI. With their centralized, interconnected data sets, knowledge graphs help AI agents find the right data faster. This fast, accurate service makes for a powerful customer experience filled with both the information customers want AND the personal assistance they crave.

How to adapt:

• Build robust knowledge graphs that integrate key business data (e.g., product availability, insurance coverage).

• Use a knowledge graph to make it easy to build data bridges inside your organization. Use them to bridge the different internal and external platforms customers will use as AI agents, too.

• Regularly update data structures to maintain your brand relevance and content accuracy.

Ward advises, "If an agent fails to get the knowledge it needs from your business to answer the consumer's questions, it's going to remember that, and it's not coming back to your content. That's why the knowledge graph is a phenomenal structure and key to future-proofing your brand."

The future is AI-first: are you ready?

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