The Unconscious AI Search Migration

AI isn't "taking over" search, it's enhancing it in ways most users don't even consciously register.

Like the famous invisible gorilla experiment, where people miss a person in a gorilla suit walking through a basketball game because they're focused on counting passes (video here), most users enjoy better results without labeling them as "AI" (Chabris & Simons, 1999).

AI overviews are accelerating, showing consumers what AI can do and making it "normal" through search platforms like Google.

AI Tsunami Incoming

The Ahrefs Brand Radar study tracking 25 million AI overviews shows a clear inflection point. Before the March core update, AI overviews were hovering around 11-14 million.

After the update? They shot up to over 25 million (Ahrefs, 2025).

We're witnessing the merging of AI responses with traditional search experiences. This chart from Ahrefs Radar research shows the massive jump in AI Overviews, just one example of this trend.

Google isn't alone in this quiet migration.

Every major platform feels the pressure to integrate AI into its core offerings. Google is completely rethinking its entire search stack in light of LLMs, signaling a fundamental shift in how information is discovered and delivered (Ghotra, 2025).

We'll see similar integration once Amazon launches Alexa Plus.

And when Apple adds whatever AI systems to Siri (my money is on Claude).

The Numbers Don't Lie

I recently attended the SIINDA conference in Cologne, Germany, with some of the best digital marketing experts focusing specifically on SMBs and midmarket customers.

Much of the discussion centered on preparing these businesses for AI adoption (SIINDA, 2025). By the way, if you don’t know Siinda, you should. Few conferences can match it for digital marketers who build solutions for small and mid-size businesses.

Digital marketing companies are prioritizing how to bring AI capabilities to small businesses effectively. They recognize the urgency of their need for immediate access to AI tools.

After a few days with people who live and breathe this technology, you realize how much this adoption rate exceeds our comprehension.

Not because we are all so close to it, but because the response from small businesses (entrepreneurs) to buying and leveraging the technology is so strong.

This trend extends beyond search. According to Lenny Rachitsky's recent LinkedIn data, "AI roles are exploding. Here's a chart showing the growth of open AI roles over the last 2.5 years. There are over 20,000 open roles currently. This includes roles at AI infra companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Scale AI and AI-driven products like Cursor, Lovable, and Perplexity."

Follow Lenny (link above) with the 1 million other people who trust his coverage and insight.

This job market explosion parallels what we're seeing in search. Soon all jobs will require an understanding of working closely with AI. They may not be “AI jobs”, but the ability to converse with and provide human-in-the-loop oversight and engagement with AI will be everywhere.

Your Mom Uses AI Now

I recently watched my wife (self-proclaimed "most non-technical person in the world") explain how she used ChatGPT to find an answer about notary witness requirements that an attorney later confirmed.

This matters for two reasons.

First, the technology works well enough for real problems. My wife didn't care about the underlying tech. She cared that she got a reliable answer faster than traditional methods.

Second, the confirmation from an attorney validates AI as trustworthy even to skeptics. This is also where citations are critical (covered back in April).

Most of the SEO crowd following presentations at Mike King & Garrett Sussman's #SEOWeek acknowledged that "AI is becoming a big thing." Yet they haven't fully grasped that AI search will transform ALL search experiences.

I see this clearly with our clients, partners, and small business owners. They're questioning why they don't have access to these tools when AI powers so many everyday searches they perform.

We're entering the general adoption phase, during which AI will move from emerging technology to standard business tool. This shift is happening faster than most realize. As I told the audience at the SIINDA conference… “We aren’t adopting AI, the AI is adopting us.”

The Rise of the AI Middleman

This brings us to Dharmesh Shah's insightful tweet from May 14, 2025:

Dharmesh, co-founder of HubSpot, identifies a critical need and gap. I agree there's a new space emerging for this specialized role. One of my friends performs this AI revenue operations role for several small businesses, helping them scale and capture value from AI tools.

The "airops" specialist doesn't need to be an AI researcher. They need systems thinking skills and curiosity about applying AI to business problems.

This aligns with Rachitsky's highlighted explosion of AI roles. The 20,000+ open AI positions aren't just for ML engineers and data scientists.

Many are for people who can bridge AI capabilities with business operations.

Greg Isenberg, CEO of Late Checkout and host of the Startup Ideas Podcast, reinforces this approach. He emphasizes that winning AI tools in 2025 will not just have the best technology, they'll have the best sharing mechanics built into their core product. The focus should be less on the AI and more on the problems it solves (Greg Isenberg, 2025).

Multiple Entry Points for AI Implementation

The beauty of this AI acceleration is that you don't need to follow one prescribed path. There are multiple entry points:

• AI Marketing Operations - Automate content creation, campaign analysis, and audience targeting

• AI Customer Service - Implement intelligent support systems that handle routine inquiries

• AI Calendar Management - Connect your Claude or other AI assistant to your calendar for automated scheduling, preparation, and follow-ups.

• AI Product Development - Use AI to identify customer needs and test new features

• AI Sales Outreach - Create personalized communications at scale with intelligent follow-up systems

It doesn't matter where you start.

Just begin somewhere in your business. Find the area with the clearest ROI or the most pressing need, and implement AI first.

For businesses considering this shift, ask yourself:

• Who on your team thinks systematically about automation?

• Are you actively tracking how AI appears in search for your industry terms?

• What processes could deliver 10x value with AI augmentation?

• How are your competitors using AI in customer-facing interactions?

The 116% growth in AI overviews represents more than a statistic. It shows the normalization of AI in daily digital interactions. Search leads the way because it's universal. Everyone searches. When search changes, expectations change.

The window for competitive advantage narrows daily for businesses still waiting to implement AI strategies.

Start somewhere. Find your systems thinker. Build your AI capabilities in the area that makes the most sense for your specific business.

The ROI will be crystal clear.