In a segment aired in March 2026, an industry insider sat in front of a hidden camera and invented a smart wristband that didn’t exist.

Software generated a first batch of more than a dozen promotional articles, and he followed up with 11 more: expert reviews, industry rankings, and user evaluations. When reporters later asked AI models for smart wristband recommendations, at least two listed the fictional device among their top picks.

That demonstration aired on China’s most-watched consumer protection broadcast. It took hours, not months. And nothing about the technique depended on the AI models being Chinese.

Six months later, China’s advertising industry answered with something the Western search industry still doesn’t have: a five-part standard that defines what generative engine optimization (GEO) is , how its results should be measured, what a GEO contract may promise, and where optimization ends and manipulation begins.

I’ve followed the Chinese search market for years, and this is the first time…