5 ways AI is changing where and how influence happens in affiliate marketing

AI is reshaping how people discover, compare and buy products — and affiliate marketing sits at the center of that evolution. From generative search and conversational shopping to AI-curated recommendations, consumers are being influenced before the click more than ever — and that shift is redefining how performance is measured. Here are five ways AI is transforming affiliate marketing and what publishers and advertisers can do to stay ahead.

1. Consumers: Discovery starts before the click

People aren’t finding products the way they used to. Tools like Google’s AI Overviews and ChatGPT’s new conversational shopping feature are compressing the traditional funnel. Instead of starting with a search and clicking through multiple sites, consumers are increasingly discovering and comparing products directly within AI platforms.

Recent data shows nearly 60% of Google searches now end without a click — a trend that will only accelerate as AI takes a more active role in summarizing content and generating recommendations. Meanwhile, 77% of active AI users say they trust AI-generated content, giving these systems enormous influence over purchase intent.

That creates both a challenge and an opportunity: how can affiliate marketers measure and reward influence that happens before a site visit ever occurs?

Dig deeper: How might consumers use AI agents to help with product research and shopping?

2. Publishers: Quality and content rule the new discovery layer

With AI curating the web’s knowledge, who creates the content — and how credible it is — matters more than ever. AI models increasingly prioritize expert-written, trustworthy and original material, rewarding publishers who invest in authority and authenticity.

For affiliate publishers, that means doubling down on expert-led reviews, in-depth comparisons and first-hand testing — the kinds of assets AI systems are most likely to surface when recommending products.

Publishers should also broaden where and how they build audiences. Short-form video, newsletters, podcasts and niche communities all send valuable signals to AI systems, helping strengthen visibility and resilience against algorithmic shifts.

As ChatGPT’s new shopping feature shows, the definition of a publisher is expanding. Platforms themselves — whether AI chatbots or social discovery tools — are becoming affiliates too, recommending products directly within conversations.

This evolution makes fair value exchange more important than ever. Publishers who create the content powering AI-driven recommendations must be recognized and compensated when their work drives sales, even if the referral happens through AI.

Dig deeper: New content strategies for handling AI-powered search

3. Advertisers: Attribution becomes the strategic battleground

Traditional last-click attribution no longer tells the full story. AI-powered discovery pushes influence to the earliest stages of the customer journey — long before measurable engagement begins.

That’s why multi-touch and view-through attribution are becoming critical. Brands need to connect influence across impressions, content engagement and even unclicked recommendations to understand AI’s true role in conversion.

Advertisers who use clear UTM parameters, API-based integrations and real-time tracking gain a distinct edge. These systems can map activity across platforms and partners, revealing a more complete picture of how AI-driven discovery contributes to performance.

As AI platforms evolve to include sponsored content or ad-supported experiences, the attribution landscape will expand even further — adding new layers of impression-level and engagement data to connect the dots.

Dig deeper: The smarter approach to marketing measurement

4. Collaboration: Strengthening partnerships with data and context

Successful affiliate relationships today depend on more than links and incentives. Advertisers must equip publishers with the data, context and creative flexibility needed to produce high-quality, AI-friendly content. 

When both sides share insights and adapt strategies together, affiliate marketing shifts from a transactional model to a connected ecosystem that drives smarter discovery. Consider offering:

• Detailed product insights and FAQs to fuel credible, informative content.
• Flexible creative assets that can be adapted by channel, audience or AI format.
• Performance transparency to help partners understand what resonates and why.

In this environment, affiliate marketing becomes more than a transactional channel. It’s a knowledge-sharing ecosystem that supports the very AI models shaping discovery.

5. Affiliate marketing platforms: Connecting the dots across AI-driven touchpoints

Affiliate platforms are becoming the connective tissue linking brands, publishers and emerging discovery channels. To keep pace, these platforms must evolve from basic tracking tools into dynamic attribution ecosystems — able to measure influence across content, conversation and context. That means capturing value not just from a click or a last interaction, but from the entire chain of engagement that AI enables.

Leading networks are already investing in advanced tagging, real-time data integration and API-ready infrastructure to support multi-touch and impression-based tracking. These capabilities will be critical as AI-driven environments — from conversational commerce to social recommendations — continue to shape how consumers make decisions.

Equally important is transparency, ensuring every partner in the affiliate value chain is credited fairly for the influence they drive — whether it comes from a review, a creator video or a mention inside an AI-powered shopping chat.

Ultimately, the future of affiliate marketing will depend on a platform’s ability to create a clearer picture of how discovery, engagement and conversion truly connect.

Dig deeper: Why do disconnected data and silos persist in marketing organizations?

The bottom line

Success in affiliate marketing will come from adapting attribution models, strengthening publisher relationships and investing in credible, expert-driven content — all supported by the right infrastructure. 

Platforms that connect signals across touchpoints, capture influence before the click and ensure transparent value exchange will set the standard. The winners will be those who align strategy and technology to make influence measurable, meaningful and fair.