GLOSSARY
The vocabulary, defined
- The Commercialization Gap
- The distance between an AI model that works and a business that pays for it. Closing it takes pricing, unit economics, go-to-market, and a repeatable story, not a better model. Read the commercialization gap piece →
- Chief AI Officer
- An executive assigned responsibility for AI outcomes. For a commercial mandate, the work can include project decisions, pricing, cost to serve, delivery and board communication. Other mandates focus on engineering or risk. Read the Chief AI Officer guide →
- Fractional Chief AI Officer
- Part-time leadership for an agreed AI mandate. Specify the decisions, availability, implementation support and fee before comparing the engagement with a full-time role. Read the fractional Chief AI Officer guide →
- Story, Model, Machine
- The three layers of the commercial rebuild: the story the market can repeat, the pricing model that survives diligence, and the go-to-market machine that converts. See the Story, Model, Machine framework →
- The Commercial Layer
- The commercial layer of a technically complex company: positioning, pricing, go-to-market, and capital narrative. The part that is usually stuck. See the commercial layer breakdown →
- A Story the Market Can Repeat
- Positioning simple enough that a buyer can re-explain it when you are not in the room. Complexity does not travel; a repeatable story does. Read why the market buys a story →
- Category as a Proof System
- A category is believed only when proof sits behind it. Declaring a name is free and worth nothing. Build the receipts first, name the category second. Read the category creation piece →
- Compute Reality
- The fact that every AI call has a real, variable cost. Pricing that ignores it erodes margin as usage grows. Read the compute reality piece →
- Usage-Based Pricing
- Charging for what the product consumes rather than per seat, so revenue tracks the variable cost of compute instead of decoupling from it. Read the usage-based pricing piece →
- Session Zero
- The first anonymous visit, before any on-site browsing or purchase history is available. Personalization at that point must work with the signals available and the applicable consent rules. Read about first-visit personalization →
- Answer Engine Optimization (AEO / GEO)
- Improving pages so they answer relevant questions clearly, support their claims and can be inspected by search and AI-answer systems. Also called Generative Engine Optimization. Actual citations must be checked separately; a page assessment does not establish that an engine cited it. Read about marketing to machines →
- Agentic Marketing
- Marketing for situations where software helps a buyer research, compare or purchase. Useful product information needs clear specifications, evidence and current terms. The amount of buyer activity delegated to agents varies. Read about marketing to machines →
- AI Referral Traffic
- Visits with an identifiable referral from an AI assistant such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude or Gemini. This records a route to the site, not every AI-influenced visit or proof of a qualified buyer. Read about measuring AI referrals →