Welcome to What We're Reading, a weekly rundown of news stories, marketing columns, and B2B industry news that caught our eye.

The human voice vs. AI mumbo-jumbo

Is it possible to write clearly and concisely in B2B while explaining a technical concept? Is jargon ever useful? Can we tell the odd joke? Copywriters (like the one writing this!) face these questions every day. Now that AI summaries are starting to eclipse thoughtfully crafted writing, B2B Marketing explains how a human approach can still make an impact.

Geopolitics a major pain point in B2B budgeting trends

Though B2B budgeting decisions are still influenced by changing buyer behaviours, digital transformation, and the need to prove ROI, concerns around geopolitical tensions are making a big impact, according to a new report. You can read the full report here, but if you’re in a rush, the key stats are summarized in the MarketingProfs blog.

B2B tech marketing is a key growth driver

While tech marketing was once seen as a support role, it’s now coming to the forefront as a strategic pillar. MarTech shares how AI and data-driven insights help integrate marketing disciplines that were previously siloed — and what this shift means within the larger ecosystem of a B2B business.

Digital marketing: More about mentions than clicks

In an interesting bit of B2C news, consumers are using generative AI to shop online, shifting marketers’ focus away from traditional SEO. Fortune explains how marketers now need to optimize for AI answers, which pull from social media as well as the brand’s website, and why brand storytelling is critical in this new landscape.

How else is SEO changing?

See how B2B marketers are tackling the new SEO challenges presented by AI summaries.