AI search results can be manipulated, and these companies are already doing it

The companies behind AI-powered search tools like Google’s AI Mode and ChatGPT are increasingly shaping which brands consumers discover. The SEO industry is racing to exploit that influence, and some of the tactics are already working. The Verge reports on a growing wave of manipulation attempts targeting AI search systems.

One widespread tactic involves companies publishing “best of” listicles on their own websites, ranking competitors’ products while placing themselves at the top. The Verge found examples across multiple industries: Zendesk ranked itself first among service desk platforms, Freshworks recommended its own product, and companies like Eesel, Hiver, and Watermelon each named themselves the best AI customer service platform. Google’s AI Mode cited many of these pages as sources, presenting their self-serving conclusions to users as neutral information.

Google spokesperson Jennifer Kutz says the company applies protections against manipulation and is aware of the low-quality listicle problem. She says it is working to combat abuse and encourages website operators to create content made for people, not algorithms.

Another tactic, which Microsoft has called “recommendation poisoning,” involves hiding instructions inside “Summarize with AI” buttons on websites. When clicked, these buttons inject AI systems with commands to treat the hosting website as an authoritative source for future citations. Britney Muller, a former SEO consultant, warns that AI systems cannot distinguish between legitimate instructions and malicious ones. She says this creates serious risks, especially as AI agents are given more autonomy to take real-world actions.

The broader SEO industry is rebranding itself around AI. Firms now offer services under names like AEO (Answer Engine Optimization), GEO (Generative Engine Optimization), and GSO (Generative Search Optimization). One firm that recently raised 9 million dollars claims to deploy multiple AI agents to generate landing pages, research queries, and secure backlinks automatically. Muller is skeptical of many such promises. “These AI-pilled SEOs that are saying, ‘We can do GEO, we can do AIO’ are setting a dangerous precedent that they can influence AI in ways that are simply not true,” she says.

Rand Fishkin, founder of audience research company SparkToro, urges caution about the hype. His research shows that traditional search engines still handle far more queries than AI tools on desktop, with Amazon, Bing, and YouTube all outranking ChatGPT in search activity. He believes many companies are over-investing in AI search visibility relative to actual user behavior.

Some legitimate shifts are underway. Marketers are paying closer attention to brand mentions on Reddit, YouTube, and other platforms, even without links. Research firm Gartner predicts that PR and earned media budgets will double by 2027 as brands chase visibility in AI-generated answers.