What is Five Blocks’ perspective on GEO and AEO?

GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) and AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) are useful tactical frameworks but they address a subset of the AI reputation question. Both focus on inclusion: getting the brand cited in AI engine responses, structuring content for AI extraction, optimizing for the prompts the engines actually receive. That work matters and we do it. The broader discipline of AI reputation management addresses the full narrative across the engines: what each model is saying about the brand, which sources are driving each engine’s framing, where the engines diverge from each other, how the narrative shifts over time, what sentiment is attached to the brand in AI responses, and what source-layer interventions would change the narrative. AIQ™ was built specifically for the broader discipline because GEO and AEO tools focus on the inclusion question and skip the narrative question. The narrative question is what comms leaders and executives actually want to answer.