Voices of Search Podcast

Episode: How will discovery look in 18 months with agents as primary users?
Date: November 6, 2025
Host: Tyson Stockton
Guest: Killian Dunn, Telepathic

Brief Overview

In this episode, Tyson Stockton interviews Killian Dunn from Telepathic to explore how discovery in the buyer’s journey will look 18 months from now, particularly as autonomous AI agents become the primary actors in online search and research. The discussion centers on the rapid evolution of search experiences, the emergence of agentic browsers, and how both content marketers and SEOs should adapt to a world where algorithms, not humans, increasingly interact with the web.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Crystal Ball: The Future of Discovery

• Main Topic: How will buyer discovery and the search journey evolve with AI agents becoming mainstream users?
• Tyson frames the conversation as a "crystal ball" look into the future, emphasizing the importance of preparing for rapid changes in research and discovery processes.
  (00:43)

2. Rise of Autonomous Agents

• Killian’s Prediction:

  • AI applications like Perplexity and emerging agentic browsers from OpenAI will soon handle most research tasks online.
  • These agents will be common within 18 months and expected to perform complex actions such as navigating websites, clicking on buttons, reviewing reports, and returning comprehensive analyses to users.
  • This trend marks a shift from current AI-generated summaries to actual task execution on behalf of users.

  Quote:

  “We've got examples of like Perplexity… I think OpenAI will release their own... agentic browser. I think soon after Google will too. And in about 18 months those will be commonplace and they will do the vast majority of the research for you… now they'll start navigating websites for you, clicking on buttons, looking at reports and so on and coming back with analysis for you.”
  — Killian Dunn, 00:57–01:27

3. Agents as Personal Assistants

• Tyson's Analogy:

  • Describes future agents as “personal assistants,” highlighting a significant leap from merely summarizing existing data to actively traversing the web and acquiring novel information for users.

  Quote:

  “It's like thinking of like personal assistants in that regard… not just presentation of what's already stored, cached, but also that acquiring of new information on your behalf I think will be a key aspect of it.”
  — Tyson Stockton, 01:30–01:50

• Killian’s Agreement:

  • Affirms this analogy and the dramatic change in how digital discovery will function, reiterating this evolution's inevitability.

4. Implications for SEO and Content Marketing (Implied)

• Although not deeply dissected in this short segment, the conversation implies enormous implications for those in SEO and content marketing. Websites must prepare for an audience of bots capable of dynamic interaction—not just humans reading text.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Agent Evolution:

  “In about 18 months those will be commonplace and they will do the vast majority of the research for you.”
  — Killian Dunn, 01:07

• On Agents as Assistants:

  “It's like thinking of like personal assistants in that regard… that acquiring of new information on your behalf, I think will be a key aspect.”
  — Tyson Stockton, 01:30

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:43 — Tyson introduces the future-facing discussion: the evolution of discovery and the buyer’s journey with agents as primary users.
• 00:57 — Killian predicts the proliferation of agentic browsers and AI research automation.
• 01:30 — Tyson likens these agents to personal assistants and stresses the difference between passive data retrieval and active information acquisition.
• 01:51 — Episode wrap-up, guest farewell.

Summary & Takeaways

• Within 18 months, AI agents—from OpenAI, Google, and others—will likely perform the majority of online research, fundamentally changing the buyer's journey and how information is discovered on the internet.
• These agents will not just summarize but actively interact with websites to pull insights, shifting the audience for digital content from human users to advanced digital assistants.
• SEO and content strategies must adapt for a future where automated agents, not just people, are the primary 'users' of web content.

This concise but insightful episode is invaluable for marketers and SEOs looking to prepare for the transformation of web discovery in an AI-driven era.