SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

More than half of UK consumers who use AI assistants say the tools help them discover new brands. But only 4% would buy from an AI-recommended brand without checking elsewhere, according to a separate finding from the same survey.

The research, commissioned by CloudNine PR, surveyed 2,564 UK consumers, including 1,989 who said they use AI chat tools such as ChatGPT.

Among those AI users, 52% said the technology makes it easier to find brands they would never have found otherwise. At the same time, 79% said they would still check other sources before trusting a recommendation from an AI assistant.

The figures suggest a gap between discovery and purchase. While 48% said they would consider buying from a brand suggested by AI even if they had not heard of it before, most still said they would verify the suggestion through more established sources.

Search engines were the most common next step, with 46% saying they would look for the brand on Google or another search engine if an AI tool recommended one they did not know.

Online reviews followed closely, with 43% saying they would check them before deciding whether to trust the recommendation. Another 32% said they would visit the brand’s website, while 27% said they would search for the brand on Amazon.

Smaller shares said they would compare the recommended brand with others, check coverage in online publications or look for social media mentions. Just 19% said they would compare it with competing brands, 10% would check online publications and 9% would look for social media references.

The survey also found that trust rises when AI-generated answers are supported by several sources. Six in 10 AI users said they are more likely to trust recommendations backed by multiple sources, including articles, reviews and influencer content.

The finding adds to a broader debate over how AI assistants are changing online discovery while still relying on trust signals established long before generative AI entered mainstream consumer use. Search results, review platforms, marketplace listings and media coverage continue to shape how consumers judge unfamiliar brands.

Uday Radia commented on the findings.

“AI tools like ChatGPT are rapidly becoming a product discovery channel and they’re helping lesser-known brands get noticed – companies that people might never have come across otherwise. Importantly, however, while AI helps you get discovered it’s not enough to drive conversions on its own. If a consumer doesn’t like what they see about you in Google, independent review sites and earned media, they’re unlikely to become customers,” said Uday Radia, Owner, CloudNine PR.

Advertising concerns

The survey also examined how users might respond if advertising becomes more common in AI-generated answers. The question has become more relevant as major AI and search companies test ways to monetise conversational interfaces.

More than half of AI users, or 54%, said they would trust AI recommendations less if companies’ adverts appeared in AI answers. A larger share, 63%, said they would switch to another AI tool if ads started appearing.

Those responses suggest advertising in AI interfaces could carry reputational risks for providers as they try to build new revenue streams. For brands, the data also indicates that visibility through AI alone may not be enough if users become more sceptical once paid placements are introduced.

The issue is already being tested across the market. OpenAI has expanded its ChatGPT advertising pilot to the UK, while Google has widened ad formats in AI-led search experiences. Anthropic has taken a different position, saying it opposes advertising because it could create incentives that conflict with keeping its Claude assistant helpful.

OpenAI has previously said its ad pilot showed “no impact on consumer trust metrics”, according to comments reported by Reuters. Its partnership with adtech company LiveRamp is designed to help advertisers measure whether ChatGPT adverts lead to purchases.

For brands and retailers, the results underline that AI may now sit near the top of the funnel rather than at the point of conversion. Consumers appear willing to use chatbots to surface unknown products, but they still want proof from search, reviews, websites, marketplaces and media coverage before they spend money.

CloudNine PR said the data was collected by market research company TLF Research from UK consumers, with questions focused on product discovery through AI tools and attitudes towards ads appearing in AI responses.

SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

Qorden AI has launched Qordenate, a multilingual video-conferencing translation platform that provides simultaneous translation across more than one million language combinations.

The Dubai-based company said Qordenate translates speech in real time during video calls, allowing participants to hear meetings in their own language as they happen. It supports 33 languages and can handle up to six languages simultaneously in a single call.

The launch addresses a common problem in international workplaces, where meetings often involve speakers using English as a second language or switching between languages. Qorden said the platform is designed for those conditions, translating spoken conversation, live captions and in-meeting chat.

Users choose their preferred language before joining a meeting. The cloud-based system does not require software installation, according to the company.

Qordenate supports up to 300 participants per call. It also produces a smart recap after meetings and includes administrative controls for webinars and podcasts.

Qorden said the translation engine was trained on how people speak in professional settings rather than on textbook language patterns. That approach, it said, helps the system manage code-switching, including combinations such as Tagalog and English in Southeast Asia, German and Japanese in business discussions, and formal Arabic used in Gulf commerce.

The company said the platform delivers up to 97% translation accuracy with low latency. Users can also customise the output to reflect their own speaking tone and register rather than use a generic synthetic voice.

Accessibility focus

Alongside translation, the service includes an embedded feature called VoiceBridge, which provides text-to-speech conversion for users with speech impairments and other disabilities. Qorden pointed to the scale of that potential market, saying more than 170 million people worldwide have speaking disabilities.

Qordenate is built on what the company calls its Language Ecosystem, the common engine behind its wider product range. That portfolio also includes QSAP for contact-centre speech analytics, Dubbix for dubbing and content localisation, and QDub for real-time voice translation.

Qorden said the underlying platform is also designed to be available through application programming interfaces for developers and corporate teams that want to add multilingual functions to their own software.

Pricing model

The service is launching with a freemium structure, alongside Pro, Business, Scale and Enterprise plans. Qorden said its webinar product is priced on a pay-as-you-go basis according to participant numbers and call duration.

The company said the service runs on Amazon Web Services infrastructure and that it is a member of the Nvidia Inception Program.

Real-time language translation has become an increasingly contested area as companies try to reduce friction in remote work, customer service and cross-border collaboration. The challenge is maintaining speed and accuracy when multiple speakers, accents and mixed-language exchanges are involved in the same conversation.

Qorden is positioning its product around multilingual meetings rather than single language pairs. Many translation services work best when one language is treated as the source and another as the destination, while business meetings often involve several languages being used at once.

“By removing the language barrier, we are freeing people to focus on a deeper level of communication which favours important aspects of the communications experience, improving productivity, efficiency and overall team performance,” said Moeen Khan, Founder and CEO of Qorden AI.

Khan also set out the company’s view of the broader business problem. “The language barrier is a major cognitive challenge faced by every business in the world. Miscommunication often results in confusion, increased costs and project delays,” he said. “Solving this problem requires a complete language engine and collaboration platform built from scratch, not a feature overlay, and Qordenate delivers that and is able to execute near-perfect simultaneous translation in real time.”

Contrivian has launched Horizon Plus, a field connectivity system for remote and mission-critical operations, expanding its Horizon portfolio for government, emergency services and enterprise users.

The system combines satellite links with multi-carrier 5G/LTE routing and SD-WAN to provide communications in areas with limited or no conventional infrastructure. It is designed for remote site operations, disaster response, military deployments and mobile healthcare settings.

The launch adds a new tier to a product line that already includes Horizon Go, a portable kit for solo responders and small teams, and Horizon, a ruggedised case for vehicle-mounted and fixed-site deployment. Horizon Plus sits above those products for multi-user field operations, while Horizon Pro remains aimed at more demanding deployments.

The wider Horizon line is intended to help field teams restore or establish communications quickly. Users can deploy the equipment within minutes for applications including remote video monitoring, real-time tracking and telemetry.

The San Francisco-based company provides connectivity services that combine fibre, broadband, LTE/5G and low Earth orbit satellite links. Its software products, Lighthouse and NorthStar, are used to monitor path conditions, select routes and provide central oversight across deployments.

Field use

Contrivian pointed to the Palisades fires in Los Angeles as an example of how the kits have been used in emergency conditions. The systems restored command-to-field communications, supported real-time weather and thermal imaging, and worked with existing handsets without requiring users to change devices, according to the company.

The example reflects a broader push by communications suppliers to provide more portable networks for agencies and operators working in austere environments. Emergency responders, healthcare providers and infrastructure operators increasingly rely on a mix of satellite and cellular services when terrestrial networks are unavailable or damaged.

Grant Kirkwood, Chief Executive Officer, Contrivian, described the launch as an important step in that strategy.

“The Contrivian Horizon Plus is a huge step for emergency services connectivity. Allowing critical teams from construction, remote operations, healthcare, law enforcement, military, and governments to connect to satellites for real-time tracking and telemetry, even in the most remote locations,” said Grant Kirkwood, Chief Executive Officer, Contrivian.

“The mix of hardware, software, and global connectivity creates a resilient ecosystem that ensures uninterrupted communication when it matters most, empowering responders to operate with greater precision, coordination and confidence in the field,” Kirkwood said.

Portfolio expansion

Horizon Go is available as either a hard case or backpack for walk-in deployment where vehicles cannot reach. The smaller system combines a Starlink Mini terminal with battery power intended to last through a full day of use.

For larger teams, Horizon uses the company’s NorthStar and Lighthouse software for round-the-clock monitoring in vehicle-mounted or fixed-site deployments. Horizon Plus extends that approach to broader field operations that require several users to share communications resources across a site or incident.

Tom Daly, Principal Technologist, Contrivian, said the company sees the systems as a way to reduce the technical burden on responders in the field.

“The Contrivian Horizon line gives responders the connectivity they’ve been needing. It’s ultra-portable, all-day battery powered and operational in minutes, built for solo responders, small teams and rapid recon in disaster scenarios,” said Tom Daly, Principal Technologist, Contrivian.

“Contrivian Lighthouse is intelligent edge software, a ‘network engineer in a box’ that thinks right on site, so first responders stay focused on their mission, not troubleshooting connectivity. With multiple paths active at once, Contrivian is delivering intelligence designed for optimized performance and fleet-wide visibility,” Daly said.

Broader market

The market for deployable communications systems has grown as public safety bodies, government agencies and companies seek more dependable links for crews operating beyond fixed network coverage. Low Earth orbit satellite services have widened the options for temporary and mobile connectivity, particularly when paired with terrestrial mobile networks and network management software.

Contrivian said its business centres on helping organisations maintain communications across remote sites and critical infrastructure. It serves sectors including public safety, healthcare, energy, financial services and government, where network outages can disrupt operations and decision-making in the field.

The Horizon expansion underlines the commercial focus on portable communications products that can scale from single-user kits to larger multi-team deployments without shifting to a separate operating model. In Contrivian’s line-up, that means a progression from carry-in systems for individual responders to larger cases intended for sustained field operations.

Horizon Plus is aimed at making that progression available to organisations that need communications across global remote environments without adding operational complexity or disruption.