The AI Reality Check: What's Actually Working vs. What's Just Hype w/Marie Haynes, SEO & AI Consultant

While everyone's talking about AI, very few are actually making it work. Marie Haynes, renowned SEO expert and AI experimentalist, is one of the rare practitioners who's gone beyond the hype—building 50+ custom AI tools (gems), testing workflows daily, and learning what actually ships versus what crashes and burns. In this candid conversation, Marie shares the unglamorous reality of AI implementation: the deleted emails, the abandoned projects, the hours of frustration—and why pushing through that wall is the only way to gain an unfair advantage. Key takeaways for marketing leaders: The 5% rule: Why most AI projects fail and what separates the builders who succeed from those who give up after the first failure User signals over algorithm optimization: Why understanding vector search can actually hurt your SEO if you're not paying attention to engagement metrics The code-without-coding revolution: How Marie went from zero programming knowledge to building custom tools in weeks (and why every marketer should learn to "vibe code") Agents vs. gems: What's actually ready for production right now versus what's still 6-12 months away from being reliable Marie also addresses the elephant in the room: Is the AI bubble real? With Gartner predicting 40% of current AI projects will be canceled by 2027, she shares why she's betting her investment portfolio entirely on AI companies—and what signals she's watching from industry leaders like Zuckerberg and Musk. If you're exhausted by AI hype but still believe there's something real underneath, this episode cuts through the noise with hard-earned lessons from someone actually building in the trenches. Resources:  Learn about Marie’s work and join her community at https://www.mariehaynes.com/  Google’s Python Class: https://developers.google.com/edu/python  Google’s Agent Development Kit: https://google.github.io/adk-docs/  Connect with Marie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marie-haynes  Connect with Paxton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paxtongray/  Looking for an agency that'll be worth the investment? 97th Floor creates custom, audience-first campaigns that drive pipeline and conversions. Get started here: https://97thfloor.com/lets-talk/.  About Marie Haynes: Marie Haynes is a leading expert in AI and Search. She helps her clients prepare for agentic search, surfacing more often in LLM tools like ChatGPT and using AI in their workflows.Timestamps: 01:26 - Working on AI agents and Google's development course  04:34 - AI overviews change every 2 days 06:10 - Industry missing user interaction signals  41:11 - AI creating work-free future  43:51 - Tips: Use LLMs daily, learn to code