Answer Engine Optimization: The Evolution to Assistive Engine Optimization

Jason Barnard’s Six-Year Head Start on AEO
Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), also known as Ask Engine Optimization, has become a major industry buzzword. While many are only now getting excited about AEO, these concepts are already outdated. Jason Barnard has been discussing them since 2018. His insights from six years ago—featured in his groundbreaking “SEO is AEO” series on SEMrush, his talk “Answer Engine Optimization: The One Strategy That Works for Every Brand” at FePSeM, and multiple articles, including his latest on Search Engine Land—demonstrate his deep understanding of search evolution. Now, as the industry shifts toward a more comprehensive optimization approach, his predictions are being validated.
The Shift from AEO to Assistive Engine Optimization (AsEO)
Featured Snippets and early AI Overviews in Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) marked the peak of AEO’s relevance. Today, the future of search lies in Assistive Engine Optimization (AsEO)—a more comprehensive strategy that goes beyond answering questions and optimizes an entire digital footprint across three core technologies:
- Large Language Model (LLM) Chatbots (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity)
- Knowledge Graphs (e.g., Google’s Knowledge Graph, Microsoft’s Knowledge Graph)
- Search Results (Google, Bing, and emerging AI-powered search systems)
Assistive Engine Optimization (AsEO) represents a significant leap forward, focusing on understandability, credibility, and deliverability across multiple technological platforms. This approach, pioneered by Kalicube, is designed to future-proof brands for the evolving landscape of AI-driven search and research.
What are Assistive Engines?
Assistive Engines go beyond simply answering; they anticipate user needs. These AI-driven systems proactively provide relevant information, predictions, and actions based on user behavior, context, and data signals.
Examples include:
- Google Learn About
- ChatGPT
- Perplexity
- Claude
- Amazon Alexa
- Apple Siri
- Microsoft Copilot
- Samsung Bixby
Where Will We Find Assistive Engines?
The answer is everywhere.
Assistive engines are increasingly integrated into everyday software such as Gmail, Google Docs, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Windows, and MacOS. The distinction between programs we use and the assistive engines driving their help features will become increasingly unclear. As a result, we’ll encounter them not only in explicit interactions but also embedded seamlessly into tools we use daily.
Assistive engines like Google Learn About, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude are already demonstrating their capabilities, and their integration into more platforms ensures their presence in both explicit queries and background processes.
The Three Core Technologies to Optimize for Assistive Engine
To establish a strong presence in AI-powered search, brands must optimize for the three core technologies that Assistive Engines rely on.
- Search Engine Results
Traditional search results remain fundamental, but AI now reshapes how users interact with them. Google’s AI Overviews and Bing’s AI-powered SERPs are examples of how search is evolving beyond simple links.
- Large Language Model (LLM) Chatbots
AI-powered conversational tools, like ChatGPT and Gemini, act as interactive research assistants. They curate and deliver personalized information based on user intent , shifting the way users consume knowledge.
- Knowledge Graphs
Assistive Engines use structured data to validate, connect, and prioritize information. A strong Knowledge Graph presence ensures AI-driven search tools recognize and trust your brand.
Assistive Engines: Different Balances of Core Technologies
Each assistive engine uses a unique combination of the three core technologies:
- Google Learn About emphasizes search results wrapped into a conversational educational experience using Gemini, its LLM chatbot, and supplemented by knowledge graph fact-checking.
- ChatGPT is largely a large-language model chatbot, supplemented by search engine results but not yet equipped with knowledge graph fact-checking (though this is likely to change soon, given Microsoft’s substantial knowledge graph capabilities).
This highlights the importance of understanding the technological balance each search engine employs to tailor optimization strategies effectively.
The Web: The Foundation of AI-Driven Search
While AI search is evolving, it’s crucial to recognize that the web remains the primary data source for all three core technologies. Google and Bing still act as the gatekeepers of web information, feeding AI-driven search results, chatbots, and knowledge graphs.
This means that traditional SEO practices are still relevant, but they must be integrated into the broader framework of Assistive Engine Optimization (AsEO). Brands that fail to structure and optimize their web presence for AI risk being overlooked by Assistive Engines.
The Kalicube Process: Future-Proofing Your Brand for AI Search
The Kalicube Process is designed to future-proof your brand by optimizing for the three critical technologies that power Assistive Engines: Knowledge Graphs, Large Language Models (LLMs), and Search Results.
This process is grounded in three foundational pillars:
- Understandability: Ensuring AI systems fully comprehend your brand—who you are, what you do, and the audience you serve.
- Credibility: Demonstrating expertise and trustworthiness across all platforms, including search engines, language models, and knowledge graphs.
- Deliverability: Making sure your content reaches the right subset of users in your target audience, aligning with their needs and preferences.
By aligning these three pillars with the three core technologies, the Kalicube Process creates a structured, holistic approach that maximizes your brand’s visibility and trustworthiness in the age of Assistive Engines.
This approach ensures your brand isn’t just visible—it’s authoritative, understandable, and primed for success across all AI-driven platforms.
Kalicube’s 13-Point Roadmap to Assistive Engine Optimization
SEOs looking to transition their expertise into a long-term, high-value strategy must understand the nuances of Assistive Engine Optimization.
Some key principles:
- Optimizing Not Just Content, but Credibility: Search engines and AI models prioritize content from authoritative sources. This means brands need to establish credibility not just for their content but for their authors and publishers as well.
- Integrating with LLMs and Knowledge Graphs: Future-proofing a digital presence requires aligning with knowledge graphs and ensuring structured, machine-readable data that LLMs can understand and use.
- A Holistic Approach to Digital Footprint Optimization: It’s no longer about ranking a webpage—it’s about making an entity (brand, author, or publisher) recognizable and trustworthy across all digital channels.
The Kalicube Process ensures that businesses optimize at three critical levels: content, author, and publisher for all three technologies. This structured approach future-proofs brands by making them more authoritative and understandable to AI-driven search and research engines.
Jason Barnard’s latest article on MarTech outlines a 13-point roadmap that acts as a blueprint for success.
Read the full article here >> A 13-point roadmap for thriving in the age of AI search
Kalicube Leading the Assistive Engine Optimization Revolution
Google Learn About
Kalicube has been pioneering Assistive Engine Optimization for years. Jason Barnard’s foundational work on Brand SERP Optimization, Knowledge Panels, and AI search strategies has positioned Kalicube as the industry leader in digital visibility for AI-driven search.
A major development reinforcing Jason’s vision is Google Learn About. Google’s experimental Learn About feature is the latest example of how search engines are transitioning toward Assistive Engines. It integrates traditional search results, LLM chatbots, and knowledge-based insights to create an educational and research-driven experience.
This aligns perfectly with AsEO because it shows how AI will increasingly assist users throughout their learning and decision-making journeys, rather than just providing answers to isolated queries.
Read the full article here >> Why “Google Learn About” Confirms Kalicube’s Brand SERP Optimization Strategy
The Future of Search Belongs to Assistive Engines—Is Your Brand Ready?
The world of SEO is changing, and businesses that embrace Assistive Engine Optimization will have a significant advantage over those who cling to outdated practices. AsEO is not just the future of search—it is the present. The Kalicube Process ensures that brands are positioned to succeed in the AI-driven future of search. By optimizing for the three core technologies of AI—LLMs, knowledge graphs, and search results—you are preparing your brand for sustained visibility, trust, and engagement.
Don’t wait for AI to leave you behind. Take action now, future-proof your brand, and be the brand that AI trusts. Kalicube is here to help.
Click here to book a call or download the guide from the right-hand menu. Whether you prefer a DIY approach or expert assistance, the Kalicube Process ensures your brand’s success in the age of Assistive Engines.