AI Field Notes – Issue No. 11

By Len Ward | Commexis

The Decline of Website Traffic (As We Know It)

As ChatGPT and other AI platforms become primary sources of information, the old model of “driving traffic to your website” is breaking down.

New paradigm: Being cited as a data source > Getting clicks.

Websites are evolving. They’re becoming repositories of structured content—not destinations for storytelling or conversion funnels. One model we’re exploring:
Websites as data rooms with a ChatGPT interface layered on top. Minimal design, no nav-heavy UX. The design itself is the interface.

This shift raises real questions:

• How will we track engagement and attribution?
• What replaces the traditional funnel?
• How do we define ROI in a world with fewer direct touchpoints?

The metrics are changing. CAC, LTV, ROAS still matter—but the way we connect effort to outcome is being rewritten. We’re actively working on new frameworks to measure and justify sales and marketing spend in this AI-first landscape.

Salesforce’s AI Moment

This CNBC piece “AI could be an existential threat to Salesforce” is worth your time. We’ve long said AI will disrupt SaaS, and this feels like a first crack in the dam.

Salesforce feels bloated and overly complex in an AI world that prizes lean, conversational, outcome-oriented tools. Not dead yet—but this is something to monitor closely.

Empire of AI

We’ve been digging into the roots of this technology to better forecast its scaling behavior. A strong recommendation:
Empire of AI by Karen Hao – essential for understanding how power, capital, and geopolitics are shaping the future of AI.

AI Usage Is Growing—Now It’s On Leadership

From our calls this week: more teams are using AI tools at work, but most are doing it in isolation.

The time for experimentation is over.
The company—not the employee—must now build the roadmap.

And remember: focus on outcomes, not just tasks.
It’s not about “what AI is doing,” it’s about “what result it’s driving.”