Sentiment in AI answers is whether an AI assistant describes a brand positively, neutrally, or negatively when it mentions the brand. It captures not just whether a brand appears but how it is characterized, which shapes the impression a buyer forms directly from the answer.
Sentiment reflects the sources an AI draws on, so it mirrors a brand's wider reputation across the web. Presence with negative framing can be a bigger problem than absence, which is why it is tracked alongside presence.