In this week’s digital news to watch, there are several upcoming tech developments. OpenAI is expected to announce how ChatGPT will access real-time news and potentially an AI assistant. In social media marketing, Instagram seems to be the preferred platform for video-based user acquisition according to a survey. McDonald’s is planning to significantly increase its digital marketing investment. Apple might be integrating ChatGPT-like technology into iPhones while OpenAI is rumoured to unveil its own AI voice assistant. We also share updates on Google’s search communication and how to address outdated content on websites.
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OpenAI expected to integrate real-time data in ChatGPT
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, dispelled rumours that a new search engine would be announced on Monday, May 13. Recent deals have raised the expectation that OpenAI will announce the integration of real-time content from English, Spanish, and French publications into ChatGPT, complete with links to the original sources. Another report speculates that OpenAI will unveil an AI Assistant, which could offer context to the partnerships with publishers to show their content and links to the original sources.
Instagram beats TikTok for video-based user acquisition, survey finds
Marketers prefer Instagram as their platform for video-based user acquisition over TikTok, according to global research from app marketing solution Zoomd that Marketing Dive can exclusively share. When asked to split their user acquisition spend between Instagram and TikTok, 79% of survey respondents allotted at least 75% of their budget to Instagram, compared with 25% at most for TikTok. However, when asked which media sources they worked within 2023, 53% of respondents said both TikTok and Instagram. The survey was conducted in February and March 2024, before U.S. lawmakers approved a bill requiring TikTok to separate from its Chinese ownership or face a potential ban in the country, which the ByteDance-owned company is now challenging in court.
McDonald’s to invest millions in digital marketing
McDonald’s is gearing up to invest “hundreds of millions of dollars” in enhancing its digital marketing capabilities, with plans to introduce a digital marketing fund funded by franchisees’ digital revenues from 2025. This strategic shift aims to elevate customer engagement and drive sales through personalised experiences. The initiative includes advancements in ordering channels, loyalty programs, and tailored recommendations. McDonald’s will collaborate with franchisees to integrate digital marketing costs into budgets and align strategies with long-term objectives.
Apple & OpenAI join forces: AI coming to iPhones with iOS 18
Apple is reportedly finalising a deal with OpenAI to integrate its ChatGPT technology into iOS 18, allowing for a popular chatbot feature on iPhones. Discussions with Google about a similar partnership are ongoing, but Apple seems to be leaning towards OpenAI. The specifics of these integrations are still unclear, and there’s no guarantee of an imminent announcement. The majority of iOS 18’s AI features will be powered on-device for privacy and speed benefits, with a special event scheduled for 10th June to unveil them. Separately, OpenAI is expected to announce its own developments, including an AI voice assistant, during an event on Monday.
Are Google being transparent around search updates?
Google have defended their lack of communication around algorithm updates in response to a user on X. Google’s Danny Sullivan explained that due to thousands of updates rolling out per year across different algorithms and systems, to comment on every single one, would be unfeasible as they are so minor on their own and wouldn’t justify a never-ending stream of notifications about minor changes. However, whilst Google may consider these as minor, combining a number of these updates together in a short space of time can lead to significant shifts in rankings and traffic, so it is understandable the site owners want to be able to get some clarity.
Sullivan noted that fluctuations in search results are due to the nature of web content as the systems have to process new information all the time as it’s added to the web, even if the system itself isn’t actually updated. Understanding that Google Search is an ever-evolving platform is essential for site owners that are eager to increase their search traffic.
Google, what is content decay?
Google defines “content decay” as a natural process in which online content becomes outdated or loses relevance over time and provides advice about how to deal with old webpages over time, in a new episode of the Search Off The Record podcast. Not all decayed content is a bad thing, and therefore shouldn’t be removed, in the case of old blog posts announcing past events or product changes and re-brands, these should be kept for historical accuracy. However, a blog that gives outdated advice or talks about deprecated features should be re-evaluated to decide whether it needs completely removing, or it requires updating to bring it up to date.
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