How AEO vs GEO reshapes AI-driven brand discovery in 2026

AI-generated search summaries are dramatically reshaping brand discovery in 2026. A Pew Research analysis of nearly 69,000 Google searches revealed that users encountering AI overviews clicked traditional results only 8% of the time, compared to 15% for those without summaries. Notably, 25% of users seeing AI overviews abandoned their search entirely, signaling a fundamental shift in how consumers discover brands and information online.