Who are we writing content for in 2026, and who actually needs to see it?

Ever since the internet began hosting all forms of written content, the primary goal of any published text has been... to be seen, and that hasn't changed today. What is different, however, in 2026, is WHO needs to see that content. And with that comes the golden rule of online writing: because people have increasingly started using artificial intelligence—specifically LLMs (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, etc.)—as search engines, you must write in a way that makes your content easy to categorize within AI-generated results and recommendations.

Until a few years ago, the answer to that question was obvious: the content needed to be seen by the people you wanted to reach, the ones you were trying to persuade, and the ones you wanted to get to know you. Consequently, all the rules on how to write to reach them were divided between "what moves people" and SEO, to ensure they could find you easily.

What has changed today in the way we write content

However, applying those same rules today might not be enough to achieve the results of the past. This is because a new player has joined the conversation: AI and, through it, the LLMs that have increasingly come to decide which content is seen online and which gets lost in the crowd, regardless of whether the quality of the information is essentially very high. The new rule requires a structure that addresses the raised issue right from the start, calls for short paragraphs, simple sentences, and keywords repeated with purpose—things that many believe can leave an impression of less humanity in a text.

Thus, the question remains: how do we write content that is easy for AI to find and extract, but also engaging for humans to read? The answer is simple: in reality, the rules that make content "appealing" to AI and the techniques that make it easy for a busy person to scan and understand actually have a lot in common.

Why do we feel like we have to compromise?

AI agents no longer just scan and index content; they truncate and fragment it according to their working context. This means that long, complicated texts increase the likelihood that an LLM will miss the actual answer if it is buried somewhere in the 10th paragraph. This phenomenon has led to many recommendations encouraging the placement of the direct answer right at the beginning and the elimination of long introductions to the topic.

People, on the other hand, react to engaging introductions and content that feels written by someone who truly knows the subject, rather than texts that seem to just be checking off a list of optimizations.

That is why the tension is real: pages of text with a cold, concise, and very direct start feel robotic to a human, while those that build context for five paragraphs before offering an answer are not interesting to AI. The solution lies in finding a structure that avoids both modes of failure simultaneously.

The core technique for content that works for both AI and humans

First, provide an answer to the question raised in the subject, and then retain and consolidate the reader's attention. Placing the essential answer in the first part helps with information extraction by AI, because it puts the information LLMs are looking for front and center.

If you are wondering what impact this might have on human attention, the answer is simple: this type of writing does not necessarily mean you lose the reader's attention quickly; on the contrary. After receiving a quick answer, many will want to understand the details and nuances that explain it.

Writing that works for both humans and AI uses the space after the direct answer to integrate elements that AI agents don't necessarily need, but humans do: specific examples, real-life experiences, and interesting nuances.

What writing elements satisfy both humans and AI

Beyond the basic technique, there are several others that can be applied to written materials, which are effective both in holding human attention and in convincing AI to cite portions of content in the answers it generates.

• Clear subheadings that increase interest in the topic. A subheading like "Why company reputation is important to customers" makes a reader want to find out the answer, and an LLM easily identifies the subject under discussion, even in the form in which people ask about it.
• Short paragraphs with a central idea. These are useful both to humans, who get a more fluid understanding of the content, and to AI, which finds it easier to fragment the text compared to those containing several mixed ideas.
• Concrete figures and clearly mentioned sources. Specificity is useful for both types of "audience" simultaneously, inspiring trust and quality (which even AI recognizes in content).
• Lists of items structured with bullet points. Both audiences value clarity, so enumerations are much better received in easy-to-scan lists than in a block of paragraph text.
• Natural language, like spoken language, without clichés. AI is increasingly beginning to recognize and "penalize" redundancy, and human attention is captured more effectively by discourse "without filler."
• Examples and associations that "illustrate" the subject. These amplify relevance, a criterion by which both humans and LLMs are guided.
• Valuable information that educates, inspires, and addresses new angles. These are not only useful for keeping human attention active, but also for meeting a need increasingly demanded by AI: agents recognize when material is truly helpful and written to solve a problem, not just for SEO.

In conclusion...

In 2026, the answer to the question "who are we writing for?" can actually be considered the same as it has always been. We are still writing for people, the difference being that artificial intelligence increasingly stands between the content and the person searching for it.

We don't interpret this as "all online content must be written in robot language," but rather that what we write should be easy to find, understand, and extract, WITHOUT compromising the quality of the information. This is where the real challenge lies, now that AI mediates the entire process.

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Frequently asked questions about content written for both humans and AI

1. What does it mean to write content optimized for AI?

AI-optimized content is content that artificial intelligence models can easily identify, understand, and extract when formulating a response. In practice, this means clear information, direct answers, a logical structure, relevant subheadings, paragraphs focused on a single idea, and easily identifiable sources.

2. How do you write content that works for both humans and AI?

Start by clearly answering the main question, then develop the answer with explanations, examples, data, and context. Structure helps AI systems identify relevant information, while examples, experience, and nuances give the reader reasons to continue reading.

3. What is the difference between SEO and AI content optimization?

SEO primarily focuses on a page's visibility in search engine results. AI optimization also focuses on ensuring that the information on that page can be understood, extracted, and used in responses generated by artificial intelligence systems.

4. Do subheadings help with AI content optimization?

Yes. Descriptive subheadings define topics and make the structure of a piece of content easier to interpret. They are even more useful when they explicitly state the question or topic the section addresses, without feeling artificial or mechanically repeating the same keywords.

5. How can a brand increase the chances of its content appearing in AI responses?

There is no formula that guarantees inclusion in an AI-generated response. However, a brand can increase its chances by publishing original and verifiable information, clearly answering audience questions, citing sources, and building pages that are easy to navigate and understand. Content that provides unique information, such as data, research, expertise, or concrete examples, offers a better reason to be used as a source.

6. Does AI optimization make texts less creative?

No. Optimization is primarily about how information is organized and expressed, not about eliminating creativity. A text can provide the essential answer quickly while maintaining the brand's voice, storytelling, examples, and the author's perspective throughout the rest of the material. Clarity and personality are not mutually exclusive.

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