The digital world is introduced to emerging tech with regularity but perhaps not with as much fanfare as the newest AI entrant. In only a few short weeks, much has been reported about ChatGPT, its capabilities, and the potential threats this new technology poses to Google. To catch you up, here’s what you need to know about ChatGPT and how it currently fits into the digital media landscape.
What is ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is a natural language processing (NLP) chatbot developed by OpenAI, a technology firm based in San Francisco that has partnered with Microsoft.
Quickly gaining popularity since its launch in late November of last year, it is designed to converse with users as a human would, using machine learning algorithms to generate responses based on the input it receives.
Overall, it’s impressive in quickly outputting extensive copy and code-based results based on simple commands. You can ask it to write anything, even specifying how many words, and it will return remarkable outputs.
For example, we asked ChatGPT to “tell a story about a woman named Cindy starting a new job at a digital agency called Lever Interactive,” and it responded within seconds with the following:
Cindy had a passion for technology and knew she had to apply when she noticed a position open at Lever Interactive, a renowned digital agency. She was thrilled to work with such a talented team because she had heard wonderful things about the company and its culture.
As Cindy got ready for her first day at Lever Interactive, her enthusiasm increased. Before entering the office, she read over the company’s documents and procedures and chose a professional dress.
Cindy was welcomed by a helpful receptionist when she arrived at Lever Interactive, who then led her to her new desk. She worked at a corporation she had always liked and couldn’t believe it.
…And the story goes on for several more paragraphs, but you get the point.
While Google frowns upon articles generated by AI, ChatGPT will likely be used by students, marketers, and authors, at minimum, to get words and even code flowing.
A few caveats of the new application are that the data it uses is capped with information up until 2021, and it has accuracy issues, providing incorrect information, which we’ve noticed firsthand.
So, while AI-driven content can be an excellent way to brainstorm or research copy variations, professionals will need to vet this information and ultimately provide rewritten versions of the content these types of technologies provide.
How is ChatGPT a threat to Google?
On its own and at this point of time, ChatGPT will not likely replace search engines anytime soon as it is primarily designed for conversation rather than searching for specific information, products, and services.
ChatGPT, on the other hand, is designed to engage in a back-and-forth conversation with a user, rather than simply providing them with a list of relevant links. So, at this point, we don’t view ChatGPT alone as a serious threat to search.
However, with OpenAI and Microsoft now working on a ChatGPT-like upgrade to Bing as early as this coming March, Google is on high alert, as Microsoft will seek to enhance Bing search with a more human-like and conversational interaction in providing search results.
While Google already has its own ChatGPT-like product, LaMDA, we’re now seeing a sense of urgency from the search giant and its founders to incorporate these features into their search experience. Among the issues they are likely to address while rolling out such updates include addressing the accuracy and reputationally damaging potential issues that could accompany an AI-driven upgrade.
How are we using ChatGPT?
As AI technology progresses, we are constantly evaluating opportunities for AI to enhance the work we’re doing today. For instance, Lever already uses AI within our service today to reveal content ideas, accelerate our keyword research for paid search and SEO, as well as enhance bids against dozens of signals in real-time keyword auctions.
And we’re already seeing opportunities to leverage ChatGPT to generate SEO code and brainstorm ad copy variations.
While ChatGPT isn’t ready for us to utilize directly in its current form, we are beginning to analyze ChatGPTs impact to the digital world, such as evaluating how our client’s website content can be adapted for AI readiness today.
What’s next for ChatGPT?
While Microsoft is planning to officially release an iteration of Bing that incorporates ChatGPT functionality later this spring, OpenAI is also planning to enhance the backbone of ChatGPT, GPT-3.5, with an updated version likely coming in 2023.
If these enhancements to Bing prove effective, we’re now likely to see an immediate response from Google to combat any significant market share shifts, but this seems to be one of the more unique and significant Bing upgrades discussed in some time.
Furthermore, to add to the anticipation, it’s stated that 2023 will be the year of AI and that what is coming next may far outdo the 2022 advancements we’re currently buzzing about.
Both, Google, and Bing’s search technology are constantly testing and evolving. We believe AI, automation, and data privacy will continue to be at the forefront of this conversation.
This will shift even more focus toward how companies securely leverage their customer data in a privacy-centric way to drive better advertising and user experience while keeping a close eye on AI advancements and experimenting with new technologies as they make sense.
For additional guidance or to learn more about Lever Interactive and how we may be able to help your digital marketing, including ChatGPT readiness, reach out to us today.