This is the question we hear most often: "AI search isn’t that big yet, so why start now?" Honestly — it’s true, AI doesn’t carry most of anyone’s traffic today. There are still good reasons to start now, and here they are.

The share is small, but the slope is steep. Google still holds roughly 70% of US desktop search, yet 37% of consumers already say they start a search with AI first, and 70% say their AI search use grew over the past year. The pie is still small, but every company invisible in it stays invisible to a growing 37%.

Waiting raises the entry cost. In 2005, a little SEO work could land you on page one. Today it takes a specialist. AI search is on the same track — right now a bit of structured data makes you stand out; once everyone piles in, it gets as competitive as SEO is today. This is the cheapest it will ever be.

No. Ads cost money in proportion to exposure, continuously. AEO and GEO — structured data, Q&A-formatted content — are closer to a structural investment: build it once, it keeps working. Whether AI search is 3% today or 30% later, the work involved is nearly the same. That is why "it’s small, so later" doesn’t really hold up.

Less and less. AI-generated summaries are showing up inside Google’s own results more and more often. "AI search" and "Google search" aren’t two separate channels anymore — they are converging, which means AEO work keeps paying off inside traditional search too.

Average consumer behavior and B2B buyer behavior are not the same. The more a purchase requires comparison and research — software, consulting, professional services — the more buyers lean on ChatGPT or Claude as a research shortcut. The more complex the decision, the more this question matters.

Unlikely. Structured data, clear definition paragraphs, direct-answer content — all of it helps traditional SEO regardless of how big AI search ends up being. The same work serves both channels, so the premise that "if AI search stalls, this was wasted" doesn’t hold.

If that logic holds up, the next question is where you stand today. Intesol Korea offers a free AI search visibility diagnostic that scores a single URL out of 100. The detailed report reaches your inbox within 24 hours.