About this episode

Tom Rudnai discusses how brands claiming to be the best are sidelined by AI in B2B marketing.

In this episode of Trust and Influence in B2B Marketing, Joel Harrison sits down with Tom Rudnai, Founder of Demand Genius and author of the Dark AI study — a research project that analyzed hundreds of AI prompt clusters across major B2B categories to map where brands are truly winning and losing influence. Tom's central finding is as counterintuitive as it is urgent: the more boldly a brand claims to be the best, the more likely AI is to quietly sideline it during the buyer conversations that shape outcomes. So where is influence actually earned in an AI-led world — and what should B2B marketers be doing differently? ➡️ Tom cuts through the noise with sharp, data-grounded thinking on why AI is not a search channel — and why treating it like one is one of the most costly mistakes in B2B marketing today. He introduces the "Dark AI" concept: the 84% of buyer conversations where no brand gets cited, yet where the problem framing, requirements, and shortlist criteria are already being quietly formed. He unpacks how AI enters exploratory mode at the top of the funnel — and why confident, directive brand language fails at the exact moment influence is most available. He also lays out…

People in this episode

Host: Joel Harrison

Guest: Tom Rudnai

Topics covered

• B2B marketing
• AI influence
• brand authority
• buyer conversations
• content strategy

Keywords

• AI
• B2B marketing
• influence
• brand claims
• Dark AI
• buyer conversations
• content strategy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Demand Genius

Books & works: Dark AI study

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