What the Data Really Says About AI Influence in B2B Buying Decisions

Tom Rudnai, founder and CEO of Demand Genius, explains why many marketers are thinking too narrowly about AI search. While teams often focus on citations and traffic from tools like ChatGPT, Tom argues those metrics only show the visible tip of the iceberg. In his research across B2B buyer journeys, citations appeared mainly in bottom-of-funnel prompts, while earlier-stage influence often happened without any brand links.

The episode explores how AI search differs from SEO. Prompts are longer, more personal, and more contextual than keywords, which means brands cannot simply mass-produce content to match every possible query. Tom warns that this “black hat AEO” creates content debt and confuses how AI understands a company’s positioning, content, and reputation.

Tom recommends tracking deeper signals like brand sentiment, perception alignment, and information gain. He encourages marketers to create original research, maintain content consistency, and use AI for monitoring rather than replacing strategic human thinking.