Three numbers decide whether AI sends users to your app. Simon Thillay on the one most teams aren't tracking yet.

How does an ASO specialist with 10+ years of experience think about AI visibility in 2026?

In this episode of Intelligent Artifice, Simon Thillay from AppTweak shares what the data actually shows about how AI tools like ChatGPT are discovering and recommending apps today. ChatGPT owns the platform. Grammarly is outranking it inside its own answers. Simon knows exactly why.

This conversation covers what is actually changing in app store optimization, how AI visibility works differently from traditional ASO, and why the gap between apps that show up in AI-generated answers and those that don't is already opening up.

AppTweak's research found that the most cited domain in ChatGPT answers for app-related queries is the App Store itself. Simon's team tested the same intent across ten different phrasings and found Grammarly consistently outranking ChatGPT for business writing app recommendations inside ChatGPT. The difference was not product quality. It was how Grammarly positioned itself for specific user contexts across its app store presence.

Simon also points to one specific part of the App Store listing that most ASO teams have never touched, and explains why it is now one of the strongest levers for AI visibility in 2026.

Video Chapters:

00:00 – Introduction & Podcast Technical Mishaps
00:46 – How AI is Changing App Store Visibility
01:42 – Pre-searching Apps via LLMs (ChatGPT Traffic)
02:14 – The Role of App Store Optimization (ASO) in AI Answers
02:40 – Optimizing Long Descriptions for AI Search
03:19 – Writing for Humans vs. Writing for AI (User Personas)
04:08 – Structuring Content & Entity-Based Writing for AI
05:07 – Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) & The Open Web Ecosystem
06:26 – How to Audit Your App's AI Visibility (Intent vs. Prompts)
07:11 – Case Study: Grammarly Outperforming ChatGPT on Niche Intents
07:54 – Measuring AEO Impact: Coverage, Rank, and Sentiment
09:02 – Where to Find Simon Thillay

Topics covered:

• App Store optimization and AI visibility in 2026
• How ChatGPT and LLMs discover and recommend apps
• AEO strategy for mobile apps
• Entity-based writing for app store listings
• Measuring AI visibility across coverage, rank, and sentiment
• AppTweak research on AI-driven app discovery

Learn more: https://mobileuseracquisitionshow.com/episode/aso-for-ai-simon-thillay/- Episode page

https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-thillay-58b95997/- Connect with Simon on LinkedIn