The Next Disruption Is Already Here

Today we’re talking about how AI search has begun to upend traffic strategies: PPC and blue-link SEO are losing their grip. Meanwhile, founders are building faster, but only validation will separate noise from winners.

But first, today’s highlights:

🚀 The UK was dubbed an “AI playground,” with gigawatts of GPU deployment and rising investment.

💰 TECH SY posted a data dive on VC funding in South Yorkshire and local deal patterns.

The end of blue links?

Recently we’ve had a front-row seat to how quickly AI is reshaping the business landscape. The change is not theoretical. It’s happening now.

Search is the best example. At a recent session on AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation), the message was clear: the old rules of SEO still matter, but they are no longer enough.

PPC campaigns and blue links once delivered a predictable stream of visitors. Now, people are skipping the click-through entirely.

They’re asking their questions directly into ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google’s AI Overview, and getting the answer in-line.

The result is a model shift. The end point might be the same, but the route is different.

Traffic that once flowed through visible, traceable links is now direct.

For any business that relies solely on PPC or SEO, that is a serious headache.

The upside: speed and empowerment

Disruption always cuts both ways. While some firms are scrambling, individuals are gaining new tools to build and test at speed.

We saw this recently with one of our founders. With a nudge of coaching, they produced a surprisingly polished MVP using AI tools. I’m now using that same MVP with other founders. What once took weeks of technical lift now takes hours.

On a personal note, I tested this shift while researching health insurance. Without leaving ChatGPT, I produced a working proposal: pros, cons, policy scopes, even broker comparisons.

No multiple tabs, no trawling through page three of Google. One interaction, one output. That’s the world we’re moving into.

Why validation still matters

But here’s the catch. Just because you can build quickly doesn’t mean you should.

The biggest risk hasn’t gone away: creating something no one actually wants. AI makes it faster to reach that dead end if you’re not careful.

The good news is the same tools also make validation easier.

You can test assumptions, gather data, and adjust with far less wasted money or time.

Done right, this should actually reduce the cost of failure for early-stage founders.

The danger of ignoring it

The real risk isn’t misuse. It’s neglect.

Leaders who treat AI as tomorrow’s problem may find their model disrupted before they’ve even noticed.

Is this the internet all over again, a generational shift in how we consume and interact? Or is it just another incremental step, like the arrival of Google search itself?

Too early to say. But the cost of inaction is already visible.

If you—or someone you know—has an idea waiting to be tested, now is the moment. Our iMVP programme is designed to help founders validate fast, cut through noise, and turn ideas into investable ventures.

👉 Do you know anyone who needs to validate their idea? Point them our way.

See you same time in two weeks!

Carl.