July 31, 2024
Search Landscape Shifts as AI Advances
For years, Google has dominated online search—that’s changing with new AI-infused technologies. OpenAI has announced SearchGPT, a prototype search engine combining generative AI with real-time internet information. The company plans to integrate search features into ChatGPT, which has already supplanted traditional search engines for many users.
It’s not just OpenAI entering the AI-powered search market. Perplexity, an AI search engine, has introduced a revenue-sharing program with six news publishers, including TIME and The Texas Tribune. The agreement aims to address plagiarism accusations by sharing advertising revenue generated from AI-generated search responses that feature published works.
Companies Willing to Pay More to Power AI
Concerns about climate impact and energy use are emerging as AI advances. The rising demand for generative AI is heavily taxing global power grids, with a single ChatGPT query consuming about ten times the energy of a typical Google search. While AI requires significant energy, it offers energy-saving benefits in industries like manufacturing and agriculture. Demand is also sparking clean energy incentives, with large majorities of companies willing to pay more for clean energy data centers to support AI initiatives.
Following increased efforts to rein in AI, the U.S. government continues to press companies on ethical AI. The White House announced new commitments from companies, including improving safety guidelines and managing risks to human rights posed by AI. Microsoft is receiving increased scrutiny over its AI involvement from investors, who have not yet seen significant financial growth.
CrowdStrike Crisis Provides a Reminder for PR Pros
Cybersecurity company CrowdStrike is facing widespread criticism for its handling of an historic IT outage earlier this month. CEO George Kurtz was criticized for not communicating clearly and failing to apologize for the disaster in his initial statement. Although, some PR pros have argued that a more measured response in lieu of an initial statement was the right course of action.
The CrowdStrike crisis is instructive for communications teams everywhere. Effective crisis management involves investigating the incident, understanding its scale, issuing a prompt and empathetic apology, and providing clear, consistent updates on resolutions. Crises are unpredictable, but having a comprehensive response process can help businesses preserve trust and emerge stronger.
Sequence Summaries: Search Storm, AI Energy, and CrowdStrike Crisis
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