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Why the Future of SEO Is AI—and What Michael Buckbee Is Building to Get There
In an era where search engines are being rapidly reshaped by artificial intelligence, we’re often left wondering: what’s next for digital visibility and brand discovery?
Key Takeaways
- ✓ Michael transitioned from corporate finance to software development and AI.
- ✓ He co-founded Knowatoa, a rank tracker for AI systems.
- ✓ AI is crucial for understanding brand representation in search engines.
- ✓ Ethical AI usage involves careful consideration of data security.
- ✓ Data security is paramount; proprietary information should be protected.
- ✓ AI is changing the landscape of marketing and search.
- ✓ Search is becoming integrated into various applications, not just Google.
- ✓ Entrepreneurs should embrace technical knowledge to succeed in AI.
- ✓ The commercialization of AI is still evolving and presents opportunities.
- ✓ Founders should focus on building innovative solutions in the AI space.
On the latest episode of The PowerTalk Show, host Navin Shetty, sat down with Michael Buckbee, Co-Founder of Knowatoa, to unpack the new frontier of AI-powered search optimization, the fracturing of traditional search engines, and what marketers must do now to stay ahead.
Buckbee’s journey is anything but conventional—starting as a software developer with a finance degree, he navigated through multiple domains including cybersecurity, tech startups, and eventually marketing. But what sets him apart is his current mission: helping brands understand and improve how they're represented in AI chat interfaces like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Meta AI—tools that are quickly replacing traditional search experiences.
From Code to Chatbots: Michael’s Tech Evolution
With a degree in corporate finance, Michael veered into software development for its better pay—and stayed for the innovation. He worked in government, YC startups, and cybersecurity before shifting into technical marketing at a fast-scaling IPO company.
“Cybersecurity was full of AI—threat detection, anomaly analysis. That’s when I realized: AI was about to change everything.”
Knowatoa: The Rank Tracker for ChatGPT & Beyond
Knowatoa is designed for one mission: track how your brand appears across AI platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity.
“Your customers are already asking ChatGPT about your product category. The problem is, you have no idea what it’s telling them.”
Knowatoa bridges that gap. It helps companies:
- Discover their presence (or absence) in AI-generated answers
- Track accuracy and representation
- Influence future AI responses through structured actions
From SEO to AIO: Why the Old Rules No Longer Apply
SEO isn’t dying—it’s evolving. Instead of ranking for blue links, we’re entering a world of AI Overviews, generative responses, and embedded answers.
“Search used to mean Google. Now it’s on WhatsApp, Instagram, Amazon, Meta AI, even your product pages.”
Each AI tool—Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini—indexes different sources (like Reddit, GitHub, or LinkedIn). Your visibility now depends on which models see your content.
Ethics, Data, and AI Use Best Practices
Michael offers a simple framework for ethical AI usage:
“Use AI as a conductor. Let it play the instruments, but you lead the orchestra.”
While AI is a productivity booster, he warns against feeding proprietary data into public systems. Instead, companies should be intentional:
- Separate public marketing data from internal data
- Use structured prompts and bots with transparent system prompts
- Audit what AI platforms index—and block what they shouldn’t
Future of Search: Fractured, Embedded, Personalized
Search is no longer a destination—it’s a feature inside every app.
Instagram’s “best restaurants near me,” Amazon’s Claude-powered product Q&A, and Meta’s Llama-powered chatbots in WhatsApp all show that search is everywhere.
“We're moving toward a fractured search future. It’s no longer just about Google—it’s about every app.”
Knowatoa is preparing brands to manage visibility across these ecosystems—with AI auditing tools that scan 24+ AI crawlers to flag if your site is even being read.
Advice for Founders Entering AI
Michael’s advice isn’t the usual “start sooner.” Instead:
“Even if you’re non-technical, understand how software development works. It helps you ask the right questions—and with today’s tools, you can build more with less.”
In an age where code can be co-written with AI, knowing how to think like a developer is the new founder superpower.
What’s Next for Knowatoa?
Michael’s vision is to:
- Help brands commercialize AI search visibility (once platforms allow bidding)
- Build tools to automate and monitor AI presence across platforms
- Make AI visibility as mainstream as SEO is today
“AI is tremendous at explaining things to me.”
— Michael Buckbee, Co-Founder, Knowatoa
“We need better marketers in the age of AI.”
— Michael Buckbee, Co-Founder, Knowatoa
“I wish I had started sooner.”
— Michael Buckbee, Co-Founder, Knowatoa
About the Guest
Michael Buckbee
Co-Founder, Knowatoa
Michael Buckbee is Co-Founder of Knowatoa, which tracks how brands appear across AI platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity. With a corporate finance degree, he moved into software development, then cybersecurity, YC startups, and technical marketing at a fast-scaling IPO company before recognizing that AI was about to reshape search entirely. Knowatoa now helps companies discover, track, and influence their presence in AI-generated answers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Knowatoa?
Knowatoa, co-founded by Michael Buckbee, tracks how a brand is represented across AI chat platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity, helping companies discover their presence in AI-generated answers, check accuracy, and influence future responses.
Is traditional SEO dying, according to Michael Buckbee?
No, it's evolving — he says search is moving from ranking blue links toward AI Overviews and generative answers, and is no longer limited to Google, showing up embedded in tools like WhatsApp, Instagram, and Amazon's Claude-powered product Q&A.
What is Michael Buckbee's framework for ethical AI use?
"Use AI as a conductor. Let it play the instruments, but you lead the orchestra." He advises separating public marketing data from internal data, using structured prompts, and auditing which AI platforms are indexing your content.
What is Michael Buckbee's advice for founders entering the AI space?
Understand how software development works, even if you're non-technical — it helps you ask the right questions, and with today's AI-assisted coding tools, founders can build more with less than ever before.
The Host
Navin Shetty didn't set out to build a media company
After a decade advising founders on go-to-market strategy across Dubai, Riyadh and Mumbai, Navin kept noticing the same gap: the most useful conversations he had happened off the record, over coffee, after the panel ended. The PowerTalk Show is that off-the-record conversation, recorded on purpose.
He hosts every episode himself — no rotating co-hosts, no outsourced pre-interviews. Guests get one rule going in: nothing is off-limits except numbers they’re legally required to keep private.
Under Business Talks Weekly, the show now anchors a small editorial operation producing written deep-dives, sponsor features and syndicated audio distributed across six platforms.
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