It's easy to hack AI search

I’ve said this before: just because something works doesn’t mean it’s worth doing.

Someone recently “hacked” AI rankings in 20 minutes—fake authority, fake credentials, fake story. And within a day, AI tools repeated it like fact.

That should tell you two things:

1. AI is still early

2. Most people will take the bait and play short-term games

Here’s the problem:

This is the same cycle we saw with early SEO.

People gamed Google.
They won—for a few months.
Then they got wiped out.

And worse? Some never recovered.

Once you’re flagged as low trust, you don’t bounce back. You sit in what I call “internet jail.”

Black hat works—until it doesn’t. And when it doesn’t, it really doesn’t.

Platforms like Google and OpenAI have one job:
Protect the user experience.

If results get spammy:

• Users leave

• Revenue drops

• Algorithms get stricter

So what happens next?

They adapt. Fast.

The smarter play: do what works—but build it to last.

Instead of faking authority:

• Build real authority

Instead of inventing signals:

• Earn real signals

Instead of chasing hacks:

• Focus on compounding trust

Because the next version of AI won’t reward noise—it will reward credibility, consistency, and depth. We explain why in this video.

So what should you do?

• Use AI to move faster

• Don’t rely on it blindly

• Double down on strategy and differentiation

• Play long-term games

Because the people who win won’t be the ones who hacked the system…they’ll be the ones who built something the system can’t ignore.

If you want to stay ahead of how AI is reshaping search and visibility, we’re helping companies do exactly that with our SEVO (Search Everywhere Optimization) service.

→ https://www.singlegrain.com/services/sevo/

This is how you win across Google, ChatGPT, Gemini, and whatever comes next.

To building durable advantage,
Eric Siu

P.S.

1 - If you want to grow faster using the power of AI, my agency Single Grain is offering free marketing plans to qualified Leveling Up newsletter subscribers, check it out here.
2 - We’re hiring AI-forward performance ad creative strategists, AI-forward SEOs and paid media people, AI short form creators, AI automation interns, and more. If you’re interested, apply at our Careers page.
3 - We launched ClickFlow to help automate and scale SEO.
4 - Interested in creating 1:1 personalized LinkedIn ads in minutes instead of weeks? Sign up for the Karrot.ai waitlist.
5 - For more in-depth marketing content, check out my Leveling Up YouTube channel
6 - To help this newsletter improve, fill out this survey