AEO is about answering, not just ranking.
Answer engine optimization means structuring your content so a system looking for a direct answer, not just a list of links, can find and use what you've written. That usually means clearer, more specific writing, not new technology.
GEO is the same idea for generative AI answers.
Generative engine optimization applies that same discipline to the AI-written summaries and chat answers that now sit alongside or instead of traditional search results. The goal is being the source those systems draw from and, ideally, cite.
Neither replaces the fundamentals.
Google has said explicitly that its AI search features don't need special markup beyond sound search fundamentals: crawlable, well-structured, genuinely useful content. AEO and GEO are a sharper focus on those fundamentals, not a separate discipline that bypasses them.
Structured data helps, but content quality decides it.
Schema markup gives systems a clearer structural hint about what your content is. It doesn't compensate for vague or generic writing. The content itself still has to actually answer the question well.
Bring your workflow, your constraints, and the outcome you want to achieve.