The Paper Everyone Cites for AI Search Tested Its Own Advice on a Real Engine. The Tactic Lost Three-Quarters of Its Effect.
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- Publish Date:
- 21 September, 2026
- Category:
- MSNBC
- Video License
- Standard License
- Imported From:
- Youtube
By Evan Vega
Five load-bearing assumptions in AI search optimization, checked against the primary sources. Google’s ‘information gain’ patent scores documents against what one reader already viewed, not site quality. The Princeton GEO paper validated its own tactics on a deployed engine in Section 6 — where adding statistics gains 8.7%, not the 30-40% headline. And one widely-shared workflow’s showcase citation resolved to a vendor’s marketing PDF sitting in a state police WordPress uploads folder.
Related: Field Analysis
