Welcome to another episode of The Toolkits Show, a podcast making sense of the major themes, trends, and developments shaping the business of content.
Everyone actually loves Google AI Overviews, says Google
After Google launched AI Overviews, the Internet was inundated by screenshots showing AI-generated search results featuring odd, erroneous and downright dangerous recommendations, including adding glue to pizza. But that kerfuffle was overblown, claims Google, who says that early feedback on AI Overviews shows that people are mostly satisfied with search results, and clicks to webpages from those results are of higher quality. But what does this mean for the future of search, particularly with human-sounding AIs as the interface?
Bargain with the devil
Meanwhile, publishers are signing licensing deals with OpenAI left and right. But this is happening even as more execs begin to admonish companies for doing this. At The Atlantic (which itself signed an OpenAI deal), stories are calling it a bargain with the devil. Should media companies sign these agreements? Perhaps not – but at this point, there may be no alternative.
Meanwhile, marketers are desperate
…to get in on some OpenAI action. Over on the brand side, companies are trying to figure out how their content can be surfaced in AI Overviews or on ChatGPT, so they can ensure traffic to their websites remains steady and of high quality. But should marketers be doing more? In an era of AI, brands will need to train LLMs so they perceive them the way they want to be perceived. What does a brand-OpenAI deal actually look like – and when will they come?