AI & the Future of Thought Leadership | EY’s Liz Bolshaw on Strategy, ROI & GEO

How is AI changing thought leadership, and what does it mean for the future of B2B marketing? In this episode of Thought Leadership in Practice, Yogesh Shah, CEO of iResearch Services, speaks with Liz Bolshaw of EY about how leading organizations are adapting their thought leadership strategies in the age of generative AI. The conversation explores insights from GTLI's Promise and Peril research and iResearch Services' Thought Leadership in Practice study, bringing together the perspectives of thought leadership producers and consumers. Want to explore the research behind the conversation? You can access both reports here: • GTLI | Promise and Peril 2026: https://gtli.org/promise-peril-attitudes-practices-thought-leadership-changing-era-ai/ • iResearch Services | Thought Leadership in Practice 2026: https://iresearchservices.com/report/thought-leadership-in-practice-the-2026-report/ Liz shares her perspectives on: • How AI is transforming thought leadership research and content creation • The promise and peril of generative AI and "AI slop" • Why human oversight and accountability still matter • How EY approaches AI in thought leadership • Thought leadership strategy, maturity and benchmarking • Why actionable insights matter more than simply producing content • Measuring thought leadership ROI through reach, engagement, reputation and impact • The changing role of GEO (generative engine optimization) and AEO (answer engine optimization) • How niche and challenger brands can compete with major organizations • Thought leadership vs. content marketing • Building credibility and trust with C-suite audiences • How organizations can turn thought leadership into deeper client conversations • The future of AI and thought leadership A key takeaway from the conversation: AI can dramatically increase the speed and scale of insight generation, but strong thought leadership still requires human expertise, judgment, originality and accountability. Watch the full conversation to hear Liz Bolshaw's perspective on where thought leadership is heading and what organizations need to do to stay relevant. #ThoughtLeadership #GenerativeAI #AI #B2BMarketing #ContentStrategy #EY #GEO #AEO