Will Tech Giants Just Use AI Interactions to Create More Effective Ads? (seattletimes.com)
- Reference: 0180801666
- News link: https://slashdot.org/story/26/02/16/0433256/will-tech-giants-just-use-ai-interactions-to-create-more-effective-ads
- Source link: https://www.seattletimes.com/business/ai-is-giving-you-a-personalized-internet-but-you-have-no-say-in-it/
"The insistence on AI everywhere — with little or no option to turn it off — raises an important question about what's in it for the internet companies..."
> Behind the scenes, the companies are laying the groundwork for a digital advertising economy that could drive the future of the internet. The underlying technology that enables chatbots to write essays and generate pictures for consumers is being used by advertisers to find people to target and automatically tailor ads and discounts to them....
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> Last month, OpenAI said it would begin showing ads in the free version of ChatGPT based on what people were asking the chatbot and what they had looked for in the past. In response, a Google executive mocked OpenAI, adding that Google had no plans to show ads inside its Gemini chatbot. What he didn't mention, however, was that Google, whose profits are largely derived from online ads, shows advertising on Google.com based on user interactions with the AI chatbot built into its search engine.
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> For the past six years, as regulators have cracked down on data privacy, the tech giants and online ad industry have moved away from tracking people's activities across mobile apps and websites to determine what ads to show them. Companies including Meta and Google had to come up with methods to target people with relevant ads without sharing users' personal data with third-party marketers. When ChatGPT and other AI chatbots emerged about four years ago, the companies saw an opportunity: The conversational interface of a chatty companion encouraged users to voluntarily share data about themselves, such as their hobbies, health conditions and products they were shopping for.
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> The strategy already appears to be working. Web search queries are up industrywide, including for Google and Bing, which have been incorporating AI chatbots into their search tools. That's in large part because people prod chatbot-powered search engines with more questions and follow-up requests, revealing their intentions and interests much more explicitly than when they typed a few keywords for a traditional internet search.
[1] https://www.seattletimes.com/business/ai-is-giving-you-a-personalized-internet-but-you-have-no-say-in-it/
Hypocrisy (Score:2)
> [...] a Google executive mocked OpenAI, adding that Google had no plans to show ads inside its Gemini chatbot. What he didn't mention, however, was that Google, whose profits are largely derived from online ads, shows advertising on Google.com based on user interactions with the AI chatbot built into its search engine.
What percentage of news stories these days is about hypocrisy of some sort?
Re: (Score:2)
Remember, Google IS evil. Would an evil company lie to you about showing ads in AI interactions?
Probably not (Score:2)
If you want more effective ads there's only a few things you need to do. 1- make a standard that disallows any custom JavaScript. All must be preset functions. 2- Enforce user experience on websites. Ads must be less than 5% of the view. Over time less people will block ads leading to more real impressions mixed in with the fraud. More sales more fun. Ooor you could just add that latest 10mb JavaScript library that promises to prevent bots.
Re: (Score:2)
we don't want effective ads.
We don't want ads at all.
It's always about ads and marketing (Score:3)
Every advancement put forth by Big Tech ever since the dotcom boom has been about advertising and marketing. Their goal is to optimize personalized mattress sales.
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Their actual goal is to profit from consumer surplus.
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They definitely see you as surplus.
If you see an advert, it means you don't need it (Score:2)
This is a simple rule to live by - if you see advertising, start by assuming you don't need it. If it's for a brand, assume that brand is overcharging you. If you see product placements or informal/influencer content, assume that's a paid advertisement. Think very carefully about what you need, make a shopping list and monitor the prices, so you know when to buy (and give yourself a cooldown to avoid impulse buying - if you haven't needed it while waiting for a special, maybe you don't need it at all).
Re: (Score:3)
not only a good idea. It's a necessity from the IT security point of view.
Ads on Google (Score:2)
I see so many ads for quack medicines, dating site scams, fake products, etc etc etc that I just assume ALL adverts are scams, not matter who they are from.
Adverts are now a product / brand warning.
Don't waste your time on ads. (Score:2)
Why no use adblock ?
Don't waste your time on ads.
Re: (Score:2)
I do, so no ads in the content, but it seems to pick up if I block ads on the home pages etc.
They are easy to ignore and I have the channels I watch listed do I can go to them directly.
It works well enough that I can not be bothered putting in any more effort, but the sentiment applies to ALL sources of adverts, TV, Radio, News Papers etc...treat them all as scams.
meh (Score:2)
Advertisers have moved away from tracking everyone ? I believe that as much as a believe the content of their ad copy.
Searches are increased because of AI ? Yes, because they are using AI to make searching more difficult.
AI is all about billionaries feeding from us (Score:2)
"AI" has not made one positive contribution to our society. The people who own it gulp our electricity, buy out our RAM, tell us that their programs are actually intelligent, when they are not. Day by day, billionaires are using their "AI" software to destroy our society, because that's what billionaires do.
If they can get a dime from it, sure they'll do. (Score:2)
No matter whether it's evil or illegal.
Effective ads. What the f*ck does that mean. (Score:2)
Ads are the enemy.
imagine the gall (Score:2)
You're telling me that now companies are trying to sell people things that they might want to buy? Oh noes! How horrible!
There are lies, bigger lies and statistics. (Score:2)
And on top of it all, statistically-generated misinformation.
Betteridge law exception (Score:3)
Here's one case where the answer to a question in the headline certainly isn't "no".
Re: (Score:2)
Especially if you remove the word "effective".
Re: (Score:2)
> Especially if you remove the word "effective".
And add the words "useless" and "garbage".
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That will be superfluous, there's already 'advertisement' there :)
AI is B.S. (Score:2)
Effective ads is already an impossibility.
AI effective is just mind blowingly impossible.
they can make ads for other AIs, yes, but that would not be called an ad.
Re: (Score:2)
It would be hilarious if AI agents led advertising clients to discover that ads rarely actually get people to buy enough things to justify the cost of the ad.
And the entire advertising echosystem collapses. Won't happen, but would be funny.