Glossary · Fundamentals
Generative Engine
An AI system that produces a novel, synthesized response to a query rather than retrieving and ranking existing documents.
Generative vs. retrieval-based
Traditional search engines retrieve and rank existing pages. A generative engine reads across many sources (and its own training) and writes a new answer in response, which is why the same brand can be described differently depending on which sources the engine leans on.
The term behind "GEO"
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) takes its name directly from this category of system — optimizing for how a generative engine describes a brand, not for how a retrieval-based engine ranks a page.
See more terms in the full glossary, or read the AI Visibility 101 guide for the full picture.