Google a Monopoly, OpenAI Suspends Content Watermark

I won’t lie—it’s been a busy week for digital marketing news. From a judge ruling that Google is a Monopoly to OpenAI backtracking on watermarking AI-generated content, changes in TikTok and Facebook user demographics (boomers are coming in strong!), and a study warning that using AI in product and service descriptions reduces buyer trust and purchase intent, we have the need-to-know here in one place for you.

Federal Judge Rules Google a Monopoly in Online Search

A federal judge has ruled that Google holds a monopoly on online search after years of scrutiny and legal battles over Google’s dominance and business practices in search and ads. This decision could have consequences that go beyond the tech giant but impact competitors and the digital marketing industry as a whole.

What Makes Google a Monopoly?

The judge determined that Google has maintained its monopoly through anti-competitive practices, including exclusive agreements with device manufacturers (ex., Android) and browsers (ex., Chrome) to keep Google as the default search engine.

As a result, the court may impose remediations ranging from fines to structural changes within Google. These could include breaking up parts of the company or altering its business practices to enable competition.

What Does This Mean for Business Owners and Digital Marketers?

This ruling presents a unique opportunity for businesses, digital marketers, and consumers. For businesses and digital marketers, it’s a chance to explore alternative search engines and advertising platforms that offer better terms and features. For consumers, this could mean more choices and potentially better privacy protections as competitors work to separate themselves from Google, highlighting what makes them better.

For other search engines, this is an opportunity to gain a foothold in the market. Companies like Microsoft (Bing), DuckDuckGo, and social search platforms like TikTok may benefit from a more level playing field.

In other words, this could be the beginning of opening up a more competitive market for online search and digital marketing.

ChatGPT Exploring Alternative to Watermarking Content

OpenAI has decided not to implement text watermarking for ChatGPT-generated content, despite having the technology ready for nearly a year. Initially the watermarking technology was developed to address concerns about the misuse of AI-generated content. The watermarking system was designed to subtly change word prediction patterns to create a detectable signature of sorts that helped identify AI-generated text to prevent things like cheating on school assignments and for transparency in content creation.

However, user feedback on the effort was not positive. A company survey revealed that nearly 30% of ChatGPT users would reduce their usage if watermarking was implemented.

Watermark Technology Not Without Faults

OpenAI’s internal documents stated that their watermark system was “99.9% effective” in identifying AI-generated text, even resisting simple paraphrasing attempts. But, with other workaround processes, like using another AI model for rewording, the user could easily bypass the watermarking.

Looking at Alternatives

OpenAI is exploring less controversial options, such as metadata embedding, which could provide cryptographic certainty without false positives, but the effectiveness of this approach is still questionable.

Bottomline is that the user should be using AI responsibly. Check the response outputs for accuracy and if you’re not sure, look at trusted online sources to confirm it. Just like other tools we use, such as Semrush and Screaming Frog, it always falls on the user to check and double check the outcomes to confirm accuracy.

Google Search Console Offers Recommendations Section

Google Search Console (GSC) has a new feature that provides SEO recommendations for your website directly within the tool in the Overview section. The new feature provides actionable insights into how to improve your website’s SEO, with tips on content optimization, technical SEO, and user experience improvements.

Source: Introducing recommendations in Google Search Console

This GSC update is similar to that already offered by Bing Webmaster Tools. However, Google’s larger index and integration with other Google services give it a slight edge.

Comparing Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools

Both Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools provide various features for website owners and digital marketers, but there are some notable differences and unique strengths:

Source: Plan Left

The feature is still in the experimental phase, so if you don’t see recommendations yet, don’t be alarmed. Even after the full rollout, Google says that they will only provide recommendations when they are available for your website.

Watercooler Highlights

Monitoring key demographic changes is a huge part of buyer personas and strategic marketing, which is why the new social media report by eMarketer is a must-have for business owners and digital marketers alike. Plus, service and product descriptions with ‘artificial intelligence’ in them negatively impact consumer trust.

Facebook and TikTok Demographics Change

A recent eMarketer report shares changes in social media demographics for platforms like Facebook and TikTok, highlighting the opportunities for targeting diverse audiences.

Facebook

• Largest Age Group: 25-34 (29.9%)
• Expected Change: Gen Z will increase from 49% to 57% by 2028.
  • 75% of Gen Z purchased through Facebook Marketplace in 2023, making them a strong commerce demographic.

TikTok

• Largest Age Group: 18-24 (36.2%)
• Expected Change: Boomers (60+ years of age) will increase by a million users in 2025.

Source: US Social Media Users by Generation 2024

Keeping up with user trends and demographic data as they become available is paramount for maintaining accurate buyer personas and aligning strategy efforts for Facebook and TikTok with KPIs and business goals. If you are not already diversifying your strategies, it may be time to consider it.

Products Mentioning AI in Descriptions Decrease Purchase Intent

A Washington State University (WSU) study reveals that mentioning “artificial intelligence” in products and service descriptions decreases emotional trust and purchase intent, especially for high-risk goods and services like expensive electronics,  medical devices, and legal services.

“High-risk products and services (e.g., automated vehicles, medical diagnoses, and investment decisions generated by AI) are less about the likelihood that consumers encounter risks immediately by purchasing the product or service; instead, they revolve around the potential dire consequences when the product or service fails to perform as expected or other inadvertent outcomes. Negative consequences (e.g., false prediction, consumer privacy breach, cybersecurity, decision biases) of AI technology failure can be more detrimental to consumer trust for high-risk purchases.” – Adverse impacts of revealing the presence of “Artificial Intelligence (AI)” technology in product and service descriptions on purchase intentions: the mediating role of emotional trust and the moderating role of perceived risk

Business owners and digital marketers know the value of language in marketing and how it impacts consumer behavior. Words matter. Focus on product features and benefits without highlighting AI technology, but if AI must be mentioned, share with the consumer how it helps product performance and safety.