Why His Call Stayed With Me

My colleague refused to adopt AI

By Meredith's Husband | July, 2026

If you read my email, you know how this started. For more than twenty years, there's been one person in the SEO industry I called whenever I got stuck. Recruiters chased him constantly. He once turned down a $250,000 job because he liked what he was already doing.

About a year ago, I mentioned that some of my clients were starting to ask about AI search visibility instead of SEO. His answer was short.

"AI isn't going to replace SEO. I'm not touching it."

Fair enough, I thought. Not everyone has to jump on every bandwagon. A few weeks ago, for the first time in over twenty years, he called me. He asked if I had any work for him.

Here's the rest of it.

The Other Side of the Story

Around the same time, a different longtime colleague has been doing the opposite. He runs a digital marketing agency and has hired me consistently for over a decade to handle the SEO portion of his projects, including a project for Yale's online college program. The last time we spoke in depth, he was building his own AI system to help handle SEO for his clients. Over the past six to twelve months, he's stopped calling as often.

Why This Isn't a Coincidence

One colleague avoided AI and is now asking me for work for the first time in twenty years. Another built his own AI workflow and calls less than he used to. I don't think either of those is random.

The Cost of Waiting Too Long

I understand not wanting to feed a system you have real concerns about. But the trend won't reverse because one person objects to it, and refusing to learn it doesn't slow it down, it only puts that person at a disadvantage. My co-op building's attorney made a similar choice years ago, refusing email and a mobile phone. It wasn't long before the building stopped hiring him.

What This Means For You

You're probably not the person avoiding AI on principle. But you likely know someone who is. This isn't about telling them their concerns are wrong, it's about pointing out that avoiding AI now means avoiding most of what's online. Learning the basics isn't an endorsement of everything about it, it's the difference between staying relevant and finding out later that the work moved on without you.
I hope this helps,
~ Meredith's Husband
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