The Citation Economy: How AI Models Are Redefining Product Discovery

The shift from SEO to GEO represents a fundamental change in how users discover content. With 93% of queries in Google's AI Mode resulting in no clicks, and 40% of product discovery expected to move to AI-native platforms by late 2026, brands must now prioritize being cited in AI-generated answers over ranking on search results pages. This transformation reflects a broader shift where AI agents—not human browsers—increasingly consume and act on published content.