Question 1

How are users and brands responding differently to AI agents in e-commerce?

Accepted Answer

_Users bypass homepages while brands invest in generative engine optimization._

It's not yet clear how AI agents will win in e-commerce. Users prefer answer-first experiences powered by ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity. They now bypass the homepage entirely, leading to a decline of the website. Brands, on the other hand, are pushing GEO, which is Generative Engine Optimization. They're also creating ChatGPT-like experiences on their site search. Meanwhile, LLMs like OpenAI and Perplexity want to integrate agent capabilities and the ability to place ads.

— [AI Agents - The Internet Is Being Rewritten - Survey Users Vs Brands?](https://www.forbes.com/sites/lutzfinger/2025/07/24/ai-agentsthe-internet-is-being-rewrittensurvey-users-vs-brands/) · _Forbes_

Question 2

How does AI enable better information retrieval than traditional search?

Accepted Answer

_LLMs transform how we access and summarize information across all domains._

Large language models can read language, extract and summarize knowledge, and create new data based on what you're asking for. The internet democratized data, but data still needs processing and summarizing into chunks we can act on. LLMs make this chunking more effective. It's like how you can watch a two-hour movie and then concisely tell a friend the content. An LLM can do this for you, providing compact, concise information retrieval. This isn't just one size fits all. In education, for example, you might have many explanations for a math problem, and the question is which explanation works best for a specific student.

— [Cherry's Investment Thesis on AI](https://www.lutzfinger.com/transcript/2024-07-19-cherrys-investment-thesis-on-ai/) · _The Edge_

Question 3

How is AI changing e-commerce?

Accepted Answer

_Fine-tuned models, attribution, category death._

> To explore this question, I looked at one industry: e-commerce. In my online certificate programs, I've explored AI use cases across many industries such as healthcare, media, coffee, finance and e-commerce. While healthcare tends to be slowest to adopt AI, e-commerce consistently leads.

— [ShopTalk 2025: Just 1% Of Vendors Use Generative AI To The Max](https://www.forbes.com/sites/lutzfinger/2025/03/21/state-of-genai--only-1---shoptalk-2025-in-numbers/) · _Forbes_

Question 4

How is AI changing the way consumers shop online?

Accepted Answer

_The shift from browsing product pages to asking AI questions._

Yesterday, shoppers browsed; today, they ask. Instead of scrolling through endless menus or filtering product grids, consumers now turn to AI assistants, and the answers drive their purchases. A new front door to retail has opened, but it no longer belongs to the retailer or Google or Amazon. It belongs to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity. Just as media outlets once lost homepage traffic to Google and Facebook, retailers are now facing the same shift, only faster. Consumers aren't browsing your carefully designed website anymore; they're asking AI assistants.

— [AI Is Changing The Rules Of Web Traffic — A GEO Playbook For Online Retailers](https://www.forbes.com/sites/lutzfinger/2025/08/20/generative-engine-optimization-geo-a-playbook-for-online-retailers/) · _Forbes_

Question 5

How is the Amazon homepage dying?

Accepted Answer

_Retail unbundling, AI assistants as the new aisle._

> The days of big online retail as we know it are over. Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, and many others will all need to reinvent themselves as e-commerce changes. Once again, the homepage is dead. What will this mean for the big brands?

— [The End Of Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy? AI-Driven Retail Unbundling](https://www.forbes.com/sites/lutzfinger/2025/06/30/the-end-of-amazon-walmart-best-buy---ai-driven-retail-unbundling/) · _Forbes_

Question 6

How much higher are conversion rates when using AI-powered search compared to traditional keyword search?

Accepted Answer

_AI search delivers up to 500% higher conversion than keyword search._

I did research comparing traditional keyword search with a more explanatory AI approach. When someone searches for a car like a Honda Odyssey, instead of just showing a list, the AI provides context about the car, options, and nearby dealerships with pricing. The conversion rate from search to buy can be five times higher in some cases. That's a 500% increase. This happens because the chatbot gives personalized recommendations based on knowing the user's full background and context, making the information land much more effectively than traditional search results.

— [Lutz Finger | From SEO to GEO: How AI is Changing How Car Buyers Find You](https://www.lutzfinger.com/transcript/2026-05-22-lutz-finger-from-seo-to-geo-how-ai-is-changing-how-car-buyers-find-you/) · _Three Key Insights_

Question 7

Is Google search dying?

Accepted Answer

_What changes when LLMs become the search interface._

> Back in the 1990s, people said "All the information is out there at the internet... we just need to find it." That was the time of search engines — AltaVista, Yahoo! Search, Google, Lycos, WebCrawler, Excite. Even Disney tried its hand with Go (1998). New Technology — New Search: Large Language Models Build AI Search.

— [2025: The Year Of Search But Not The End Of Google](https://www.forbes.com/sites/lutzfinger/2025/01/03/2025-the-year-of-search-but-not-the-end-of-google/) · _Forbes_

Question 8

What content strategy works for generative engine optimization?

Accepted Answer

_Structured, authentic Q&A content wins over keyword stuffing._

The old SEO playbook, keywords, backlinks and blogspam, won't work. AI assistants don't crawl for short-form content. They rely on authentic, Q&A-rich, structured data. Here's the playbook: leverage real customer language from support tickets, forums and user feedback. Use structured Q&A formats so LLMs can parse them easily. Integrate FAQs into product pages, placing context-rich answers directly where decisions happen. Prioritize trust and transparency with verified, concise, well-sourced information. Training LLMs is expensive, so models prioritize information that is authentic, novel, and trusted. Your goal is to teach the models who you are.

— [AI Is Changing The Rules Of Web Traffic — A GEO Playbook For Online Retailers](https://www.forbes.com/sites/lutzfinger/2025/08/20/generative-engine-optimization-geo-a-playbook-for-online-retailers/) · _Forbes_

Question 9

What did Lutz warn about China's AI strategy back in 2019, and why?

Accepted Answer

_Data collection strategy, not just tech, drives AI advantage._

Back in 2019, I warned that China's aggressive data collection strategy would give it a long-term AI advantage over the U.S. The concern was not about computing power or talent, but about data access. China's willingness to collect data aggressively creates a structural advantage because, as Lutz argues elsewhere in the piece, the real question is who controls the data and who builds products people actually use, not just who has the best technology.

— [Stargate: The $500 Billion Message To China — The Future Of AI Regulation](https://www.forbes.com/sites/lutzfinger/2025/01/22/stargate-the-500b-message-to-china---the-future-of-ai-regulation/) · _Forbes_

Question 10

What irony does Lutz see in how DeepSeek R1 became available to the world?

Accepted Answer

_U.S. bans may have pushed China to open-source instead._

DeepSeek's R1 is an open-source model, and soon many startup founders will experiment with it. The irony is this is happening despite U.S. efforts to block China from accessing AI technology, or perhaps because of those bans, which forced China to stay ahead by open-sourcing its models. The attempt to restrict China may have backfired by incentivizing China to make its AI widely available, spreading its influence rather than containing it.

— [Stargate: The $500 Billion Message To China — The Future Of AI Regulation](https://www.forbes.com/sites/lutzfinger/2025/01/22/stargate-the-500b-message-to-china---the-future-of-ai-regulation/) · _Forbes_

Question 11

What is 2025 for search?

Accepted Answer

_Predictions about search changing in 2025._

> It might sound like a throwback to the 1990s, but technology has transformed the way we search for and interact with information. If past patterns hold true, 2025 will be the year of search. Will it be the end of Google?

— [2025: The Year Of Search But Not The End Of Google](https://www.forbes.com/sites/lutzfinger/2025/01/03/2025-the-year-of-search-but-not-the-end-of-google/) · _Forbes_

Question 12

What is answer engine optimization and generative engine optimization in B2B distribution?

Accepted Answer

_Making expertise discoverable exactly when buyers need it most._

AEO and GEO ensure your expertise is not just digitized, but discoverable at the moment of intent. In this new model, discovery no longer depends on trade shows, cold calls or client dinners. It happens in the flow of work, through AI interfaces already embedded in how people search and decide. This allows a buyer's query, typed in natural language, to route directly to your fine-tuned AI, delivering recommendations as accurate as a trusted expert.

— [AI For Private Equity — The Future Of B2B Distribution](https://www.forbes.com/sites/lutzfinger/2025/07/15/ai-for-private-equity---the-future-of-b2b-distribution/) · _Forbes_

Question 13

What is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)?

Accepted Answer

_Why being discoverable to AI assistants is the new SEO._

> For brands a new playbook is emerging: AEO. AEO is just the beginning.

— [Study Shows LLM Conversion Rate Is 9x Better — AEO Is Coming](https://www.forbes.com/sites/lutzfinger/2025/06/19/study-shows-llm-conversion-rate-is-9x-better---aeo-is-coming/) · _Forbes_

Question 14

What is the competitive risk when Europe restricts data while other societies do not?

Accepted Answer

_Data access determines who wins the global AI competition._

Data is the lifeblood of AI. Those with access to data will build better AI. If one society like Europe restricts data collection while another like China aggressively pushes it, China will over time have more and better models. Data laws are the new trade laws. For example, the EU has regulated that gender should not be used in AI models, which may lead to less effective risk distribution and higher costs. We may be willing to pay that price, but what if other societies are not?

— [Emmanuel Macron On AI: We Are Regulating Ourselves Out Of The Market](https://www.forbes.com/sites/lutzfinger/2024/10/22/emmanuel-macron-is-right-about-ai-over-regulatingi-have-no-doubt/) · _Forbes_

Question 15

What is the most important format for presenting dealership content to AI models?

Accepted Answer

_Q&A format reduces cognitive load and increases AI model pickup._

Package your content in Q&A format. When someone asks a question, the model looks for the least cognitive load, very much like humans. If it finds the exact question already formatted with an answer, it just picks that up rather than reading a sentence and having to think about extracting the answer. That costs money for the model. So take your newsletters from the last 10 years, use an AI tool to generate Q&As from that authentic content, and put it on your website. The content should be human generated, ideally based on your own customer data.

— [Lutz Finger | From SEO to GEO: How AI is Changing How Car Buyers Find You](https://www.lutzfinger.com/transcript/2026-05-22-lutz-finger-from-seo-to-geo-how-ai-is-changing-how-car-buyers-find-you/) · _Three Key Insights_

Question 16

What replaces SEO in the LLM era?

Accepted Answer

_Strategies for being discoverable to AI assistants._

> But based on research I conducted with Cornell Master's students, that shift is happening much faster. LLM-driven traffic is already starting to outperform traditional search — not in volume, but in value. Traffic from LLMs converts at nearly 9x higher rates than traditional search. This is the biggest disruption to search since the dawn of the internet.

— [Study Shows LLM Conversion Rate Is 9x Better — AEO Is Coming](https://www.forbes.com/sites/lutzfinger/2025/06/19/study-shows-llm-conversion-rate-is-9x-better---aeo-is-coming/) · _Forbes_

Question 17

What should I monitor to optimize my brand for AI assistants?

Accepted Answer

_Start with questions, not metrics. Understand what customers actually ask._

Don't run and start to monitor your brand. Instead, try to understand the best set of questions to monitor. The challenge for brands is to predict what users will be looking for. Companies should be tapping into customer support tickets, community forums, social media conversations, and user interviews. In other words, you need to get the questions right first. I've built data and monitoring tools for two decades, and I've seen brands obsessively measure mentions without asking the deeper question: what exactly should we measure? Understanding authentic customer language is the foundation.

— [AI Is Changing The Rules Of Web Traffic — A GEO Playbook For Online Retailers](https://www.forbes.com/sites/lutzfinger/2025/08/20/generative-engine-optimization-geo-a-playbook-for-online-retailers/) · _Forbes_

Question 18

Why are some brands invisible when I ask AI assistants for product recommendations?

Accepted Answer

_Visibility depends on what AI models learned during training._

If your brand isn't present in AI answers, you're effectively invisible. The reason is training data. Models surface answers based on the content they've been exposed to. For example, when someone asks ChatGPT about hiking jackets, it might recommend Outdoor Research, Arc'teryx, and Patagonia, but brands like Mammut, Columbia, or The North Face are absent. That's because companies like Patagonia and REI have done a better job supplying structured, high-quality information to AI systems. If you haven't taught the models who you are, you won't appear in their recommendations.

— [AI Is Changing The Rules Of Web Traffic — A GEO Playbook For Online Retailers](https://www.forbes.com/sites/lutzfinger/2025/08/20/generative-engine-optimization-geo-a-playbook-for-online-retailers/) · _Forbes_

Question 19

Why do LLMs convert better than search?

Accepted Answer

_Trust, personalization, and conversion lift from AI traffic._

> Some predict that by 2028, more people will discover products and information through large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT and Gemini than through traditional search engines. But based on research I conducted with Cornell Master's students, that shift is happening much faster. LLM-driven traffic is already starting to outperform traditional search — not in volume, but in value.

— [Study Shows LLM Conversion Rate Is 9x Better — AEO Is Coming](https://www.forbes.com/sites/lutzfinger/2025/06/19/study-shows-llm-conversion-rate-is-9x-better---aeo-is-coming/) · _Forbes_

Question 20

Why does traffic from AI assistants convert better than other channels?

Accepted Answer

_AI recommendations convert nine times better through personalized trust._

Studies show that traffic originating from LLMs converts up to nine times better than other channels. Why? Because recommendations feel personal, contextual, and trustworthy. One example stands out: a consumer uploaded their blood results into ChatGPT and immediately purchased €200 worth of vitamins with no browsing, no comparison, pure trust. AI-driven traffic is still small in volume, but its impact is outsized. The personalized, context-aware nature of AI recommendations creates a level of trust that traditional search channels can't match.

— [AI Is Changing The Rules Of Web Traffic — A GEO Playbook For Online Retailers](https://www.forbes.com/sites/lutzfinger/2025/08/20/generative-engine-optimization-geo-a-playbook-for-online-retailers/) · _Forbes_

Question 21

Why is Lutz conducting this survey on AI agents and generative engine optimization?

Accepted Answer

_Research aims to track how users and companies adapt to AI._

Lutz wants to find out how far users, organizations, and the ecosystem have evolved in adapting to AI agents. He's already looked at many areas like IDE for coding, finance for risk underwriting, and e-commerce. To track how users versus companies are adapting, he partnered with Chase Binnie from RetailWire to launch a survey focused on GEO. The data will help understand how brands show up in AI-generated answers, what strategies work, and what tooling is missing. All findings will be published openly.

— [AI Agents - The Internet Is Being Rewritten - Survey Users Vs Brands?](https://www.forbes.com/sites/lutzfinger/2025/07/24/ai-agentsthe-internet-is-being-rewrittensurvey-users-vs-brands/) · _Forbes_

Question 22

Why shouldn't dealerships use ChatGPT or other AI tools to create content for GEO?

Accepted Answer

_AI-generated content harms your visibility in generative search results._

Do not ask ChatGPT, Gemini, or other tools to create content for you. It will not work. All model providers are extremely careful about trying to figure out slop, which is AI-generated content. The model doesn't learn from content it just created. This is the snake eating its own tail. If you create slop, you will lose out. Use your human team to bring content in. Your content needs to be authentic, novel, and unique. You can use AI tools to help organize your authentic content, like generating Q&As from your existing newsletters, but not to create the original content.

— [Lutz Finger | From SEO to GEO: How AI is Changing How Car Buyers Find You](https://www.lutzfinger.com/transcript/2026-05-22-lutz-finger-from-seo-to-geo-how-ai-is-changing-how-car-buyers-find-you/) · _Three Key Insights_

Q&A, Search & GEO

How are users and brands responding differently to AI agents in e-commerce?

How does AI enable better information retrieval than traditional search?

How is AI changing e-commerce?

How is AI changing the way consumers shop online?

How is the Amazon homepage dying?

How much higher are conversion rates when using AI-powered search compared to traditional keyword search?

Is Google search dying?

What content strategy works for generative engine optimization?

What did Lutz warn about China's AI strategy back in 2019, and why?

What irony does Lutz see in how DeepSeek R1 became available to the world?

What is 2025 for search?

What is answer engine optimization and generative engine optimization in B2B distribution?

What is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)?

What is the competitive risk when Europe restricts data while other societies do not?

What is the most important format for presenting dealership content to AI models?

What replaces SEO in the LLM era?

What should I monitor to optimize my brand for AI assistants?

Why are some brands invisible when I ask AI assistants for product recommendations?

Why do LLMs convert better than search?

Why does traffic from AI assistants convert better than other channels?

Why is Lutz conducting this survey on AI agents and generative engine optimization?

Why shouldn't dealerships use ChatGPT or other AI tools to create content for GEO?