In this week’s digital news, OpenAI announces the launch of its own search engine, Search GPT. Search GPT will enable users to directly ask queries and be provided real-time information from the web to answer questions, instead of offering a list of links. The AI-powered search engine is also introducing tools for publishers, giving them more control over their precedes in AI-generated results. An independent study has found that AI search posts user satisfaction. This rise in satisfaction comes from notable improvements rolled out across search engines over the past year, using AI enhancements.
Google plans to test Ads within its AI Overviews, plans show that initially these ads will appear in sections labeled “sponsored”when relevant to the query and AI-generated content. Early testing has shown users have found these ads helpful on the platform. Consumer confidence in the UK has risen in July, GfK’s Consumer Confidence Index increased by one point to -13. The UK general election and England’s success in the UEFA Euro 2024 had limited positive impact on national mood.
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OpenAI launches its own search engine: SearchGPT
OpenAI has announced the launch of SearchGPT, a prototype AI-powered search engine, marking the company’s entry into the competitive search engine market to challenge existing players. SearchGPT combines AI language models with real-time web information, to directly answer user queries in concise responses with citations, rather than just offering a list of links. The interface features a conversational chat format allowing for follow up questions. OpenAI have also revealed they will be introducing tools for publishers to manage how their content appears in SearchGPT, giving them more control over their presence in AI-generated results. This is likely due to the backlash Google have received over their false, and potentially harmful in some cases, answers provided in AI Overviews.
AI found to boost user satisfaction in Search
An independent study by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) finds that, despite concerns about AI in online services, AI search boosts user satisfaction. In terms of the search engine market, Google maintains its position as the most satisfying search engine with an ACSI score of 81, up 1% from last year, with users particularly complimenting its AI-powered features. Following behind Google, Bing and Yahoo! Have both seen notable improvements in user satisfaction which scores of 77 and 76 respectively, up 3% from last year. In line with the AI enhancements rolled out across search engines over the last year, notable areas of improvement across customer experience benchmarks include ease of navigation, loading speed performance and reliability, and freshness and variety of content, services and information, all of which suggest AI enhancements positively impact the search experience.
Google to test ads in AI Overviews
Google will soon test ads within its AI Overviews, as confirmed by Philipp Schindler, Google’s senior vice president and chief business officer, during an earnings call. He reiterated that this involves incorporating search and shopping ads in AI Overviews for U.S. users. These ads will appear in sections labeled as “sponsored” when relevant to the query and AI-generated content. Early testing showed users found these ads helpful. Existing ads from AI-powered Search and Performance Max campaigns will be used, with no need for new ad creation.
Examples include dynamic experiences for queries like “short term storage,” where AI can recommend storage unit sizes and packing materials based on user inputs. Additionally, AI-powered recommendation ads will offer personalised suggestions, and visual brand profile ads will highlight brands’ unique stories with images, videos, and promotions.
Consumer Confidence has shown improvements in July
Consumer confidence in the UK has seen a slight improvement in July, as people await the impact of the new government’s policies on their finances. GfK’s Consumer Confidence Index increased by one point to -13, with two measures rising, one falling, and two remaining unchanged from June.
Joe Staton, GfK’s client strategy director, noted that while the overall index saw a minor improvement, the significant rise in the major purchase index could be good news for retailers. However, consumer views on the wider economy remain unchanged from June. The UK general election and England’s success in the UEFA Euro 2024 had limited positive impact on national mood. Overall, July’s consumer confidence poll indicates caution as people wait to see how the new government will influence the economy and personal finances. GfK has been tracking UK consumer confidence for over 50 years.
Most marketers believe their brand is well-placed to grow when the economy recovers
Just over half of marketers (53%) believe their business is in a good position to grow when the economy recovers. According to Marketing Week’s 2024 Language of Effectiveness survey, supported by Kantar, marketers in small and medium sized businesses agree that they are well positioned for growth (66%) once the economy starts to recovery once again. Larger businesses are less optimistic about growth with only 49.8% of marketers agreeing that they are in a good place of growth.
CrowdStrike CEO says 97% of Windows sensors are restored after worldwide IT outage.
The CEO of CrowdStrike, George Kurtz, says that 97% of the company’s Windows sensors on the Falcon security platform were back online as of Thursday, though overall recovery from the global IT outage remains ongoing. Due to automative recovery techniques, the progress was enhanced in getting Windows devices running again. CrowdStrike has issued a statement saying that they are taking steps to ensure that such an incident, never happens again. This comes after 8.5 million Microsoft devices crashed due to an undetected error in a rapid response configuration software update, disrupting operations at major airlines, banks, hospitals and other critical organisations around the globe.
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