Let's ChatGPT

What Happened: Well, the entire Search industry collectively freaked out over ChatGPT. One of the biggest catalysts was the announcement that Microsoft and OpenAI were working on enhancements to Bing using ChatGPT, which is powered by GPT-3, to “challenge” Google. Chartr reported that the ChatGPT tool hit over 1Million users in just 5 days.

A common misconception across the industry is that ChatGPT itself could replace Google. Though it can be used as a question/response tool, it was not made that way (specifically not made for “truth”). Google is likely working on a similar product and it’s important to remember Google owns DeepMind.

Another point of contention is the overarching feeling that Google is losing relevance. Back in November, we reported on our own industry experts commenting on the topic of Google and relevancy as a reflection of user grumblings. Now, the commentary focus is on most of the results being driven by paid ads, with little organic presence, with a big emphasis on knowing that’s where Google gets its revenue from. OpenAI’s WebGPT is an attempt at more “truthful” AI through web browsing and may present the Search Engine threat in the future. Speaking of future, GPT-4 is on the way.

If you’d like to hear a more about the nuts-and-bolts of WebGPT, check out John Schulman on the TalkRL podcast. Or, the big moves OpenAI is making, check out this Emerging Tech Brew write-up.

Impact on Search: Honestly, not a whole lot. The biggest red flag to wave here is that Google explicitly calls out content created by artificial intelligence is against their guidelines and has invested a lot of time and money into identifying AI content. We may begin to see Bing gain a larger share of the search traffic which may lead to a loss in revenue, traffic, and interest coming from Google. Monitoring performance to stay on-top of trends is key.

What you should be thinking about is how to leverage this technology to create efficiencies and reinvent boring tasks. Industry thought leaders are actively pumping out articles with ChatGPT examples, SEO experiments, and ways to use AI for SEO. You’ll find great tips, tricks, and ideas to explore scalability and inject some fun into your day-to-day menial tasks.?