DECA Weekly AI Recommendation Index
Week of July 12, 2026 · ChatGPT (GPT-5.4), US · 10 categories.
Table 1: DECA Weekly Index headline metrics, week of July 12, 2026. The DECA Volatility Index is the share of ranked brands that moved ±10 rank positions week-over-week (48 of 439 this week). Source: DecaGEO, ChatGPT (GPT-5.4), US.
What this article covers
This week, ChatGPT’s software recommendation set contracted again — from 472 to 439 ranked brand slots across 10 categories (GPT-5.4, US), its second straight decline, driven almost entirely by GEO. Klaviyo was the biggest gainer (+33.9 DECA in Marketing Automation) and Peec.ai the biggest faller (−23.6, in GEO). Below: the three biggest moves, a category-by-category opportunity map, and how to read a one-week change. Not seeing your category below? Treat this report as a sample chart — DecaGEO can map the same view for your market: who ChatGPT recommends, who’s rising, and how hard the category is to enter.Summary for citation: In DecaGEO’s week of July 12, 2026 data (ChatGPT GPT-5.4, US, 10 categories, 439 ranked brand slots), Marketing Automation’s mid-tier surged together — Klaviyo (+33.9), Adobe Marketo Engage (+25.8), Agentforce Marketing (+24.8), Customer.io (+22.4), and ActiveCampaign (+20.7) — leaving leader Braze just 2 points ahead of HubSpot Marketing Hub. GEO contracted from 99 to 74 brands and its own leaders fell (Otterly.AI −20.4, Scrunch AI −19.3, Peec.ai −23.6), widening Semrush’s lead. CRM’s #1 changed for a fifth straight week (Zoho CRM → Dynamics 365 Sales). The tracked set fell from 472 to 439 brand slots.
Key takeaway: A single week’s move is an observation, not a buying signal. This week Klaviyo rose +33.9 in Marketing Automation while falling −19.9 in Email — the same brand, opposite directions. Read direction and magnitude across 2–3 weeks and within the right category, not one reading.
This week’s biggest moves
The tracked set fell for a second week (440 → 473 → 467 → 493 → 472 → 439)
The number of brands ChatGPT placed in its recommendation set fell from 472 to 439 this week — down 33, a second straight decline from the June 28 peak of 493. The drop was almost all GEO (−25):
Table 2: Ranked brands per category, weeks of June 7 – July 12, 2026. Source: DecaGEO, ChatGPT (GPT-5.4), US.
Read the level and the multi-week shape, not the weekly tick. GEO’s climb has fully reversed — it peaked at 103 (Jun 28) and is back to its June 7 level (74). Most other categories are flat within their usual bands (SEO 57, Marketing Automation 39, Email 41). Much of any week’s change overlaps newly detected or re-aggregated brands, so confirm a direction over 2–3 weeks rather than reading a single week as a trend.
Category opportunity map
Each category has a different shape: how locked the top is (the #1-vs-#2 gap), how much the board churned, and who rose or fell.
Table 3: As of the week of July 12, 2026 · ChatGPT (GPT-5.4), US. Risers and fallers by DECA Score change vs July 5.
Open any category’s live board: CRM, SEO, GEO, Email Marketing, Marketing Automation, Project Management, Help Desk, Influencer Marketing, AI Writing Assistants, AI Image Generators.
Two categories churned most — GEO (18 of 74 brands moved ±10 ranks) and Influencer Marketing (9 of 52, unusually high as Aspire fell). The top is most contestable in Marketing Automation (a 2-point #1-vs-#2 gap) and Project Management (4), and hardest to challenge in AI Image Generators (50) and AI Writing (35).
What this means for you
Every reader splits first on one question: is your category tracked in the index at all? The positions below only apply once it is. If your category isn’t tracked yet. Not appearing in the 10 above isn’t a verdict — the index adds and drops names week to week (the universe moved 472 → 439 this week). Request a free category chart to see whether ChatGPT recommends your brand, which competitors appear first, and how far you are from the Top 5. If your category is tracked, read your position:- Not yet recommended. Start where the entry bar is lowest and the board least crowded — AI Image Generators and Help Desk are less dense than GEO or SEO. GEO’s field just contracted 25%, a reminder that its openness cuts both ways.
- Mid-pack. In the churning boards (GEO, Influencer), measure your gap to the fifth-place score and watch which moves stick — this week the whole Marketing Automation tier rose together, which lifts scores without changing rank.
- Stable or leading. Marketing Automation (2) and Project Management (4) have the thinnest leads this week — thin enough to track challengers weekly.
- For an SEO manager, SEO stayed a two-horse race (Semrush gap 32) while Ahrefs rose +18.8 — the runner-up strengthening, not the leader slipping.
- For a founder, the thinnest #1-vs-#2 gaps mark the most contestable leads: Marketing Automation (2) and Project Management (4) this week.
- For a product marketer, category volatility is the context before any GEO investment — GEO moved 18 of 74 brands ±10 ranks while AI Image moved none.
Don’t see your category?
Not appearing in the 10 categories above isn’t a verdict that ChatGPT is silent in your market — it more likely means the category hasn’t been mapped yet. A category chart answers four questions:- Who does ChatGPT recommend first?
- Which brands are entering the recommendation set?
- How high is the Top 5 threshold (the DECA Score needed to break in)?
- Is the category open, volatile, or locked?
FAQ
Which brand gained the most in ChatGPT recommendations this week? Klaviyo, up 33.9 DECA points to #3 in Marketing Automation, for the week of July 12, 2026 — though the same brand fell −19.9 in Email Marketing. Which category is most volatile right now? GEO — 18 of 74 brands moved ±10 ranks. Influencer Marketing was unusually active too (9 of 52) as Aspire fell. Where is the #1 spot least safe? Marketing Automation, where just 2 DECA points separate Braze from HubSpot Marketing Hub, followed by Project Management (a 4-point gap). Did the CRM leader change again? Yes — Dynamics 365 Sales retook #1 from Zoho CRM (now #2), the fifth straight week the CRM crown has changed hands. See Best CRM Software. Is ChatGPT recommending more brands overall? Not this week — the tracked set fell from 472 to 439 brand slots (−7%), a second straight decline led almost entirely by GEO (−25). Over six weeks it has drifted (440 → 473 → 467 → 493 → 472 → 439), so read the level and trend, not the weekly tick. My category isn’t one of the 10 — can I still see who AI recommends in it? Yes. The index expands as recommendations in a category mature. Request a chart and DecaGEO will check whether ChatGPT recommends brands there and send the first chart. How should I read a single week’s move? As an observation, not a buying signal. This week’s clearest example: Klaviyo rose +33.9 in one category and fell −19.9 in another. Confirm with 2–3 weeks of trend, within the right category, before acting.How we measure
DecaGEO runs a consistent set of recommendation prompts each week through ChatGPT (GPT-5.4) in the US region and records which brands are named and how prominently, across 10 software categories.- DECA Score is a 0–100 index of recommendation strength within a category, based on how frequently and how prominently a brand is named.
- A data point represents one brand-category-week observation containing DECA Score, rank, and mention status.
- Model labels (e.g., GPT-5.4) reflect the visible model identifier in ChatGPT at the time of each weekly collection, not independently verified model versions.
- Limitations: Week-over-week counts partly reflect newly detected brands and may include re-aggregation noise. A single week’s change is an observation, not a trend. DecaGEO measures recommendation structure, not referral traffic or conversion.
Sources
- DecaGEO recommendation data, ChatGPT (GPT-5.4), US, weeks of July 5 and July 12, 2026 (10 categories).
- Prior week: AI Ranking Movers — Jul 5, 2026.
Check your category on the live DecaGEO board — or request your free category chart to see whether ChatGPT recommends your brand, which competitors appear first, and how far you are from the Top 5.