When organic search volume fades, how do you reach an audience?

The AI device ‘Play’ signals a new era for direct access — and a warning for content marketers.

 

Since the switch to digital from print back in the early 2000’s, content marketers have relied on organic search as the main driver of their audience. But that foundation is eroding fast. As Google increasingly delivers answers directly on the search results page — often powered by its Gemini AI model — the traditional path from user query to branded content is fading. Zero-click search isn’t theoretical; it’s already here.

This shift has left brands scrambling to answer a critical question: If users aren’t visiting your site, how do you reach them?

OpenAI may have just offered one potential answer.

From Generative Models to Generative Access

OpenAI’s $6.5 billion acquisition of Jony Ive’s hardware startup, io, raised eyebrows across tech and media circles. The partnership aims to develop a new category of AI-native device—designed to foster more seamless, direct interaction with ChatGPT and potentially other AI tools.

But this move isn’t just about Ive’s design aesthetics or manufacturing capability. The real story here is about distribution—getting closer to the consumer without relying on third-party platforms. Cutting out the middle as it’s often referred to.

Like every brand, publisher, and platform, OpenAI is facing the growing challenge of reach. And today, that challenge is steep. Mobile access is largely controlled by Apple and Google, who both extract significant tolls and dictate experience standards. Meanwhile, the open web—once a relatively democratic space—is shrinking under the weight of AI-generated summaries, platform-native content, and closed ecosystems.

OpenAI’s response? Build your own lane.

Content’s Distribution Crisis

What’s happening to OpenAI is happening to every content creator. Creating great content is no longer enough. You need control over how, where, and when your audience engages with it. That’s becoming increasingly difficult:

  • Organic search traffic is declining, replaced by AI-generated answers and summaries.
  • Social referral traffic is fragmented, with algorithms favoring native posts, short-form formats and metering brands organic reach.
  • Apps and OS-level controls create friction, limiting direct relationships and increasing costs.

The result? Brands are being pushed further from their audiences — forced to rent visibility from platform gatekeepers.

A New Path to the Consumer

OpenAI’s hardware ambitions represent a strategic attempt to bypass those gatekeepers. By building a device where the AI is the core interface—not just an app inside someone else’s ecosystem—they’re taking control of the distribution channel.

This shift could unlock major advantages:

  • Direct user interaction, without intermediaries.
  • Richer behavioral insights, enabling better personalization.
  • Lower cost of access, by sidestepping platform fees and limitations.

For content marketers, the takeaway is urgent: it’s time to rethink distribution.

That doesn’t mean building your own device. But it does mean doubling down on every viable channel — email, chat, voice, SMS, YouTube, embedded media, AI integrations and even (in some cases) print. Without a billion-dollar acquisition which most of us don’t have access to, there’s no magic bullet — but ignoring the problem of organic search going away isn’t an option.

Final Thought

OpenAI’s acquisition of io isn’t just a hardware play—it’s a strategic play and a bet (albeit a very large one). As organic search fades and the open web becomes less, well “open”, every brand will face the same question: How do we reach people in a world where discovery is increasingly controlled?

The solution won’t come from SEO alone. It will come from designing smarter experiences, owning more of your delivery infrastructure, and staying relentlessly focused on where your audience is actually spending time.

 

Author Bio

Robin Riddle is the Chief Strategy Officer at DDM Content Solutions. He works across B2B as well as B2C and specializes in financial services, insurance and healthcare. Prior to his time here, he led content marketing businesses at both The Economist and The Wall Street Journal. A passionate advocate for the value of content marketing, Riddle is also heavily involved in industry issues and speaks at many events on the topics of content marketing and native advertising.