May was the month AI search analytics moved to centre stage, with Google overhauling Search at I/O while specialists like Onclusive, Peec and Grayling scaled up around it. The Dublin AMEC Global Summit delivered the industry’s first GEO measurement framework, and a wave of fresh research from Cision and Muck Rack reshaped the picture of how journalists and AI systems actually consume content.

In April, Hootsuite made headlines as founder Ryan Holmes returned as interim CEO. Meanwhile, PeakMetrics secured funding as narrative intelligence continues to attract serious investment, and Belgian monitoring company Auxipress picked up local player Euro Argus. And, Meltwater released a joint report with YouGov on how generative AI is reshaping consumer trust in brands.

Signal AI’s recent investment came in handy as it acquired Memo, bringing its readership data to Signal clients. Meanwhile, publishers are seeking new readers with several AI licensing deals, including a $USD 50 million per year AI licensing deal between Dow Jones and Meta. Product launches this month reflected the same AI-first momentum: from Onclusive launching a unified platform built on a single intelligence layer, to Muck Rack embedding AI visibility scores directly into media outreach workflows. It appears the industry is moving from experimenting with AI to embedding it at the operational core.