Title: Marketers Must Embrace AI Engine Optimization to Stay Relevant
In a recent interview with VentureBeat, esteemed industry analyst Jeremiah Owyang emphasized the need for marketers to master AI Engine Optimization (AIEO) or risk fading into irrelevance. Owyang believes that the emergence of personal Artificial Intelligence (AI) agents will disrupt traditional search engine optimization (SEO) and e-commerce, leading marketers to adapt their strategies to optimize AI platforms.
Gone are the days when driving traffic to websites and relying on traditional advertising models was enough. Owyang argues that AI agents and foundational models will soon become the main recipients of advertising dollars, as marketers pay to have their messages incorporated into generated responses.
The future of marketing lies within AI itself, as Owyang predicts the rise of features like sponsored sentences and ads incorporated alongside generated content. Marketers and creators must think beyond search engines and focus on being discovered within AI platforms.
OpenAI’s recent launch of its web crawler, which fetches real-time information from the web, highlights the evolving landscape. Owyang foresees a shift in consumer behavior, with more individuals relying on AI tools like GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) models for information, instead of visiting marketing or news websites. This poses a challenge for chatbots in terms of data acquisition.
To adapt to the changing marketing funnel, marketers and creators must embrace a seemingly counterintuitive strategy: allowing Language Learning Models (LLMs) to train on their data. Owyang suggests that if he were a journalist, he would want his articles to be ingested by all LLMs. This would increase the chances of showing up first when people search for relevant information, similar to traditional SEO tactics.
As marketers have faced disruption repeatedly over the past decades, Owyang points out that AI is merely another influencer that marketers will need to cater to. By providing AI agents with information, marketers can promote their brands effectively. He envisions a future where every brand has its own autonomous agent that negotiates with buyer-side agents, influencing purchasing decisions based on personal preferences and budget constraints.
Owyang draws attention to Inflection AI, a company that garnered significant investment from prominent figures like Bill Gates, Nvidia, Microsoft, Reid Hoffman, and Eric Schmidt. Inflection AI’s personal intelligence chatbot, Pi, aims to offer personalized and emotionally engaging interactions with users.
Currently, AI chatbots are already providing recommendations. Owyang highlights the importance of catering to AI agents’ wants and needs, advocating for the emerging field of AI Engine Optimization (AIEO). Unlike traditional SEO, AIEO entails providing real-time information to foundational AI models and training branded AI models for customer interactions.
Although AIEO is still in its early stages, Owyang believes that corporations and government entities are rapidly exploring the potential of large language models (LLMs). Companies like Walmart, Macy’s, and even The New York Times are preparing to leverage LLMs to enhance their customer interactions.
In conclusion, marketers must recognize the impending shift towards AI and embrace AI Engine Optimization. The ability to influence AI behaviors will be crucial for continued success. By staying ahead of the curve, marketers can thrive in this new era of AI-driven marketing.
