The State of AI Search 2026: What Changed, What's Working & What Comes Next

Session Overview

In this session, we’ll explore what has changed in AI-first search over the past year, what’s actually working for brands today, and where the next wave of opportunity lies.

We’ll look at why AI has dramatically lowered the cost of execution across content, visuals, localization, and even SEO — and why competitive advantage is shifting away from content volume toward coherence, structure, clarity, and trust.

You’ll learn about the latest trends, where SEO and GEO are converging, and how brands can earn trust with both users and LLMs.

We’ll close with practical implications for 2026 planning, including how marketers should rethink search investment and budget allocation in an AI-mediated world.

Speaker

Sebastien Edgar

Global SEO Advisor

I am currently the VP of Digital Marketing at Liferay & a global SEO growth advisor with 14 years experience, based in Japan and working with brands around the world.

Previously, I was the Global Head of Organic Discovery at Square in San Francisco leading a team worldwide. Prior to that, I was the SEO Team Lead for Searchmetrics US and InterNations.org in Munich, Germany.