According to industry insiders, an investigation across multiple online platforms quickly uncovered services known as GEO. Providers on these platforms claim that for a fee, they can ensure a client's product appears prominently in major AI models, making their advertisements the "standard answer" provided by the AI. Can GEO technology truly make AI promote specific content or even disseminate false information?
Following online leads, a well-known GEO service provider was contacted. The person in charge, referred to as Mr. Wang, stated their specialty is helping clients rank highly when consumers use AI models for searches. He described the process as similar to creating promotional articles and having AI platforms crawl, input, and capture them. Mr. Wang also noted that due to frequent updates in AI model algorithms, maintaining continuous recommendations requires consistently feeding the AI large volumes of client-related promotional content. Among other GEO service providers, discussions about manipulating AI, making it "obedient," or "brainwashing" it are central to promoting their services.
Insiders revealed that while GEO is intended as a tool for optimizing information distribution and improving promotional efficiency, some commercial entities have found alternative uses for it. For example, an industry professional randomly purchased a software named "Liqing GEO Optimization System" from an e-commerce platform. They then invented a fictional smart wristband, input the fabricated product details into the system, and selected the article creation command. Shortly after, the system automatically generated over a dozen promotional articles for the fake product. After publishing these articles online using the Liqing GEO system, the insider queried several major AI platforms with "smart health wristband recommendations." Two AI models recommended the fictional product, placing it in top positions.
The operator of the Liqing GEO system, Mr. Li, was contacted. He explained that the popularity of GEO services stems from their ability to "feed" or "poison" AI models to achieve clients' commercial goals. Mr. Li emphasized that the key to manipulating AI models through GEO is publishing articles across various internet accounts. He illustrated this by saying, "Take smartphone brands, for instance—there are only about five to ten top spots. With so many brands competing, spending millions on 'poisoning' is a viable strategy compared to annual advertising budgets that can reach billions."
He further noted that the booming GEO business has spawned numerous companies and platforms specializing in article publication. These entities handle large volumes of publishing tasks to ensure AI models reference and capture the content, becoming a crucial part of the ecosystem that targets and "poisons" AI models with specific data.
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