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AI-powered search has quietly become the first interaction the majority of prospective students have with a college or university.
Tools like ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, and Perplexity now deliver synthesized answers that shape student perception before they ever visit a single website. In many cases, students never click through at all. This marks the most significant shift in higher ed discovery since the rise of search engines.
In this webinar, Carnegie’s team, joined by experts from Profound, a leader in AI search visibility, will unpack the current state of AI search in higher education and introduce Answer Engine Optimization (AEO): the practice of ensuring your institution is accurately understood, trusted, and represented inside AI-generated answers.
In this webinar, you will learn:
- Ways to prepare your institution for AI-driven discovery, using practical, assessment-first steps that help teams move forward with clarity.
- How AI search and answer engines actually work, including how they source, interpret, and summarize higher ed content
- The risks and opportunities AI search creates for higher education, from zero-click discovery to brand misrepresentation and competitive visibility.
- The difference between SEO and AEO, and why strong search rankings alone no longer guarantee visibility or influence in an AI-first landscape.
- How to discover signals of AEO readiness (or risk) across program pages, institutional content, and external sources that AI systems rely on.
