In short
- The eight AI terms that matter for SME marketing today are agent, harness, loop, MCP, skill, computer use, GEO and AGI: the first six describe an AI that works on your tools, the seventh how to get cited in its answers, the last one a goal that still has no shared definition.
- An agent is a language model that uses tools in a loop, guided by the results it gets (Anthropic, 2024).
- MCP is the open standard, introduced by Anthropic on 25 November 2024, that connects an AI to external data and software: the documentation compares it to a USB-C port.
- GEO means optimising content for the answers of ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity; the Princeton study that gave it its name measures up to 40% more visibility (Aggarwal et al., KDD 2024).
- You don't need the jargon to decide: you need to know which of these things your website, your data and your agency can already do.
Eight AI terms now matter for marketing in an SME: agent, harness, loop, MCP, skill, computer use, GEO and AGI. The first six explain how an AI works inside your tools, GEO how to get cited in its answers, and AGI a goal that still has no shared definition.
On 25 November 2024 Anthropic published a protocol with a name straight out of a technical manual, Model Context Protocol. Two years later it is the reason a business owner can ask Claude, in plain words, to update an article on their website and find it already changed online.
That leap brings a new vocabulary with it. The words come from developers and LinkedIn threads, and they reach meeting rooms before anyone has explained them. Below are the eight that matter for anyone doing marketing in an SME, each with a definition you can repeat the first time and what it changes in your work.
Which AI terms matter for marketing?
There are eight, and they fall into three groups: how an AI works (agent, harness, loop, skill), how it connects to your tools (MCP, computer use) and how the people who use it find you (GEO). AGI stands apart, because it is a declared goal rather than a tool.
| Term | One-line definition | What it changes for marketing |
|---|---|---|
| Agent | A model that uses tools in a loop and decides the next step on its own | Whole tasks delegated, with a human check at the end |
| Harness | The scaffolding of instructions, memory and tools around the model | Quality depends on how it is built, not only on the model |
| Loop | The cycle of trying, checking the result, correcting | More cycles need clear criteria for when to stop |
| MCP | The standard that connects an AI to external data and software | Your website, CRM and reports become reachable by the assistant |
| Skill | A folder of instructions and scripts the AI loads when needed | The company's method is written once and reused |
| Computer use | The AI looks at the screen, moves the cursor and types | Work on software without connectors, still experimental |
| GEO (or AEO) | Optimising content for AI answers | A new shop window to measure alongside Google |
| AGI | An AI as general as a person across many tasks | No budget decision depends on it today |
What is an AI agent?
An AI agent is a language model that uses tools in a loop, guided by the results it gets. The definition comes from Anthropic, which in December 2024 separated two things that marketing often mixes up: workflows, where the AI follows a path written in advance, and agents, where the model decides which tools to use and in what order.
The difference matters when you buy a service. A workflow always does the same thing and is easy to control. An agent adapts, and that is exactly why it needs clear rules on what it may touch. Anthropic itself recommends that you start from the simplest solution and add autonomy only when needed.
What are harness and loop?
The harness is everything around the model: instructions, memory, tools, checks. In November 2025 Anthropic's engineering blog described how it builds one for agents that work over long periods: a progress file where the agent notes what it has done, one feature at a time, and tests run the way a person would run them in the browser.
The loop is the agent's engine: try, look at the result, correct, try again. People who talk about «loop engineering» mean the design of these cycles, that is, when the agent must stop, what it counts as a good result and when it asks a person.
For you the consequence is practical. Two providers using the same model can give you very different results, because the scaffolding changes. When you evaluate an AI tool, ask what it remembers between sessions, what it can change and where it keeps a trace of what it has done.
What is MCP and why does it concern your website?
MCP, Model Context Protocol, is an open standard for connecting AI applications to external systems: files, databases, software. The official documentation compares it to a USB-C port: one connector instead of a different cable for every device. Today it is supported by Claude and ChatGPT, among others.
It means the assistant you use every day can read and, if you allow it, change your tools. DeepCMS, the platform we build our clients' websites on, has MCP access: you switch it on from the dashboard, choose whether the AI can only read or also write, and from there you ask for changes in plain words. The AI works on pages, articles, images and requests that came in through forms; templates and configuration stay out of its reach, and every write ends up in a log you see on the same screen.
The log is the detail to look for in any tool with MCP. An AI that writes on your website must leave a trace of what it has changed.
What are AI skills?
A skill is a folder of instructions, scripts and materials that the AI loads only when the task requires it. Anthropic introduced them on 16 October 2025: the assistant scans the list of available skills and opens only the one it needs, so the rest takes up no memory.
In marketing a skill is how you put a company's method in writing. Tone of voice, rules on sources, the structure of a quote, the checks before publishing: you write them once and the AI applies them every time, without repeating them in every conversation. If you already have a brand manual, half your skill is ready.
What is computer use?
Computer use is an AI's ability to operate a computer like a person: it looks at the screen, moves the cursor, clicks and types. Anthropic introduced it on 22 October 2024 as experimental, «at times cumbersome and error-prone», and advised starting with low-risk tasks.
It is useful when a piece of software has no connectors, like an old management system or a portal without an API. When a connector does exist, MCP is the more reliable route: the AI calls a precise function instead of looking for a button on the screen.
What are GEO and AEO?
GEO, Generative Engine Optimization, is the set of techniques for getting a website into the answers of generative engines such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity. AEO, Answer Engine Optimization, means the same thing under a different label. The name GEO comes from a study by Princeton and collaborators, presented at KDD 2024, which measures up to 40% more visibility with content that cites sources, reports statistics and uses expert quotes.
The same study carries a warning that is rarely quoted: on sites already ranking first, some of these techniques reduced visibility. And Google says that, for its AI features, the usual SEO best practices apply, with no additional requirements or special optimisations. We covered this in our guide to appearing on ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini.
What really matters is measuring. The GEO view in Deep Intelligence regularly puts the questions of your market to ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity, shows how often you appear, engine by engine, and who gets cited instead of you. Next to it sit Search Console, campaigns, social, newsletter and press, so your presence in AI answers is read together with everything else. Virtual CMO reads that data and proposes the next decision, with the reason written next to it.
What does AGI mean?
AGI, Artificial General Intelligence, refers to an AI able to handle a wide range of tasks at least as well as a person. There is no single definition: in 2023 a group of Google DeepMind researchers proposed measuring it in levels, crossing how good a system is with the number of different tasks it can handle.
For anyone setting a marketing budget, AGI is not a line item. The tools that change the work today are the other seven on this list. If you want a refresher on how the underlying models work, there is our simple explanation of ChatGPT and Large Language Models.
Where should an SME start?
It starts with three questions for your provider. Does my website have MCP access, with permissions and a log of changes? Do I know how often AI engines cite my brand and who they cite instead of me? Is our method written down so that an AI can follow it? If the answers are three noes, you know where to start. For the cost of the tools, see our analysis of the AI stack for SMEs.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a chatbot and an AI agent?
A chatbot answers one question at a time. An agent uses tools in a loop and decides the next step on its own until the task is done.
Is MCP safe to connect to a company website?
It depends on how it is set up: you need separate read and write permissions, a clear boundary on what the AI can touch and a log of changes.
Does GEO replace SEO?
No. Google states that SEO best practices remain valid for its AI features too, so SEO remains the foundation and GEO adds the measurement of citations in AI answers.
Are AEO and GEO the same thing?
In current usage, yes: both refer to optimising content for the answers of generative engines.
Is computer use ready for everyday work?
Anthropic introduced it as experimental and recommends low-risk tasks. Where a direct connector exists, MCP is more reliable.
Sources
- Anthropic, Building effective agents, 19 December 2024.
- Anthropic, Effective harnesses for long-running agents, 26 November 2025.
- Anthropic, Introducing the Model Context Protocol, 25 November 2024.
- Model Context Protocol, What is MCP?, documentation read on 9 October 2026.
- Anthropic, Agent Skills, 16 October 2025.
- Anthropic, Computer use, 22 October 2024.
- Aggarwal et al., GEO: Generative Engine Optimization, KDD 2024.
- Google Search Central, AI features and your website.
- Morris et al., Levels of AGI, Google DeepMind, ICML 2024.
PS: the images in this article were generated with artificial intelligence.
