There’s a recent article from G2 doing the rounds, and it jumps straight in with a handful of questionable assumptions

The narrative seems to be: AI is the new search, SEO is dead, long live AI SEO

But here’s the reality we’re actually living in: buyers are already using AI to shape their decisions, of course they are

I do it myself

The holiday we took this year? 

AI built that itinerary for us two years ago

Buyers aren’t waiting for permission

AI is already embedded in how they research, shortlist, and explore options

And this is where the noise starts
Right now, every marketing guru has a vested interest in pushing their angle:

• If buyers stop using Google, SEO agencies lose their jobs

• If buyers stop using websites, web agencies lose theirs

• So naturally, we’re being served a fresh wave of labels, AI SEO, GEO, AEO anything to keep the old model alive with a new paint job

Let’s break those down:

• Generative Engine Optimization (GEO): Optimising content for generative AI answers

• Answer Engine Optimization (AEO): Tailoring content specifically for AI-driven answer platforms

• AI SEO: A broad catch-all term trying to future-proof traditional SEO

Yes, 79% of software buyers say AI search is changing how they research

And yes, 29% say they now start with AI more often than Google

But here’s the truth nobody wants to admit:

Nobody is relying on AI alone

Buyers still want human connection

They still want conversations

They still want a salesperson they trust to validate, challenge, and help them make the right call

In a world where AI accelerates everything, trust becomes the only real differentiator

Conclusion:
The winners in this AI-powered buying journey aren’t the ones chasing the newest acronym

They’re the companies, and the salespeople, who invested early in building relationships, showing up consistently, and earning trust long before the buyer typed their first question into ChatGPT

AI may change how research begins, but trust still determines how decisions end