---
id: "quote-digest-text-numbers"
type: "quote"
source_timestamps: ["\\\"§ 1. Structure your content for machines", "not just humans.\\\""]
tags: ["geo", "data-structure"]
related: ["concept-generative-engine-optimization"]
speaker: "Authors"
speakers: ["Ali Furman", "Ege Gürdeniz", "Rima Safari", "Remzi Ural"]
source_url: "https://hbr.org/2026/02/how-brands-can-adapt-when-ai-agents-do-the-shopping"
source_title: "How Brands Can Adapt When AI Agents Do the Shopping"
sources: ["geo"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-geo"
originDay: 3
articleStem: "hbr-ext-14-brands-adapt-ai-shopping"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2026/02/how-brands-can-adapt-when-ai-agents-do-the-shopping"
sourceTitle: "How Brands Can Adapt When AI Agents Do the Shopping"
---
# Agents Digest Text and Numbers

> "AI agents don't browse visually or interpret nuance the way humans do. They digest text and numbers."

— The authors ([[entity-ali-furman]], [[entity-ege-g-rdeniz]], [[entity-rima-safari]], [[entity-remzi-ural]])

**Context.** This is the operative rationale for [[concept-generative-engine-optimization-d14]] and the contrarian claim [[contrarian-seo-vs-geo]]: because agents consume structured text and numbers rather than evocative prose or imagery, brands must translate marketing language into strict machine-readable attributes (see [[action-structure-content-machines]]).