Conversational Survival Rate (CSR)

Introduction Large language models are increasingly used to evaluate products, compare brands, and guide purchase decisions. Unlike traditional search engines, AI assistants do not merely retrieve links. They structure competitive comparisons, narrow alternatives, and frequently resolve to a recommended starting destination. This structural difference introduces a new measurement problem. Brand visibility in AI systems does not necessarily translate into brand selection. A brand may be mentioned early in a conversation but eliminated before the final recommendation is made. This paper defines and formalizes a metric designed to measure that survival dynamic: Conversational Survival Rate (CSR).