In the news category, we keep you updated on the latest developments and trends within the AI and marketing world.

Here we share up-to-date information on important events, events, innovative developments, market shifts and more.

We go in depth and give you insights so that you always stay well informed and can make strategic decisions based on the latest information. After all, within marketing it is extremely important to keep up to date because developments are happening so fast.

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Tell me honestly: how much time does it take you to make one good video? Writing script, finding or shooting footage, arranging voiceovers, editing, keeping pace, adding captions ... and then you have to publish it. Meanwhile, the content pressure is growing: more formats, more channels, more versions. And your target audience expects higher and higher quality.

That's exactly what HeyGen is capitalizing on with their new Video Agent. It is a full AI agent that functions as a creative team from start to finish.

What is the Video Agent?

HeyGen Video Agent is an autonomous working system that converts your input into a ready-made video. Upload a document, a few raw images, or just type a single sentence. The agent writes the script, chooses or generates the right visuals, adds an appropriate actor, and edits everything including timing, transitions, captions and movement.

The result is TikTok videos, product demos, explainer videos or user-generated content without having to edit yourself. Whereas tools like Synthesia or Runway still often rely on loose prompts and manual adjustments, the Video Agent works as a full-fledged team member that makes decisions independently. That's what they call "agentic content creation" at HeyGen.

What does this mean for marketers?

The advent of the Video Agent shows that video production is tilting from a time-consuming process to an automated content stream. For marketers, this means three things. First, content becomes scalable: instead of one video per week, you can now effortlessly test multiple versions, tailored to target audience and channel. At the same time, production costs drop significantly. Without a separate team for script, direction or editing, you still deliver quality that can compete with traditional branded content. And because everything moves faster, you can respond immediately to trends, product updates or current campaigns without taking much time.

What makes HeyGen unique?

HeyGen was already known for their AI avatar technology, lifelike digital speakers in dozens of languages. The Video Agent builds on that with an integrated approach. No separate elements, but one continuous workflow where AI understands what you want to convey and how it should look visually.

The agent not only chooses images, but tailors them to your message. He decides on shot order, pacing, style and even tone of voice. Do you want a video with a journalistic tone? Or instead energetic and commercial? The agent adapts. This makes HeyGen fundamentally different from generative video tools that only render scenes.

Video Agent available soon

HeyGen is launching the Video Agent in phases. You can sign up for the waiting list on the website. In the meantime, it will be interesting to see how companies and creators experiment with the capabilities.

Take a leap forward in your marketing AI transformation every week

Every Friday, we bring you the latest insights, news and real-world examples on the impact of AI in the marketing world. Whether you want to improve your marketing efficiency, increase customer engagement, sharpen your marketing strategy or digitally transform your business. 'Marketing AI Friday' is your weekly guide.

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The summer of 2025 for OpenAI is not only marked by the expected release of GPT-5, but behind the scenes there is plenty going on. Things are rumbling between OpenAI and strategic players such as Microsoft and Meta.

Tensions with Microsoft: interests and control clash

Microsoft pumped more than $13 billion into OpenAI in recent years. The integration of GPT technology into products such as Bing and Microsoft 365 gave Microsoft a clear edge in the AI race. But now that the parties are negotiating a new deal, cooperation is straining.

The reason for the conflict lies with the share distribution in a future commercial structure of OpenAI. Microsoft is aiming for a stake between 20 and 49 percent, with which it wants to strengthen its position. OpenAI, for its part, wants to maintain control and keep room for new investors. Especially in terms of recent acquisitions such as AI coding company Windsurf, OpenAI wants to stay in control.

That's where it collides. Windsurf is developing technology that overlaps with GitHub Copilot, Microsoft's own flagship AI code generation product. If the talks break down, Microsoft would fall back on its existing contract that runs until 2030. That gives access to OpenAI technology, but also leaves Microsoft more room to build on its own LLM ambitions.

Meta hunts for talent: up to $100 million signing bonus

In addition to the tensions with Microsoft, Meta has also opened the attack, this time on human capital. With extreme bonuses of sometimes $100 million, Mark Zuckerberg is trying to lure top engineers and researchers away from OpenAI.

The strategy is twofold: Weaken OpenAI while also strengthening Meta's own AI division. Earlier this year, Zuckerberg already set his sights on Safe Superintelligence, the startup of OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever. That one turned down both an acquisition and a personal offer from Meta. Still, the signal is clear: The battle for AI talent is in full swing, and it is no longer just a matter of product, but also of puppets.

What does this mean for marketers?

For marketing professionals working with tools such as ChatGPT, Copilot or other AI-supported platforms, these are not distant developments. The reliance on a single AI provider may impact availability, pricing models and integrations in the near future.

Imagine that Microsoft decides to scale back on OpenAI integrations, or even accelerates its commitment to a proprietary model. Or that OpenAI temporarily locks down new API customers because of reorganizations or strategy shifts. In either scenario, marketing teams wholly dependent on one tool may suddenly shut down.

That's why it makes sense to diversify your AI strategy. Work with multiple models, test open-source alternatives and choose companies that are transparent about their dependencies.

Take a leap forward in your marketing AI transformation every week

Every Friday, we bring you the latest insights, news and real-world examples on the impact of AI in the marketing world. Whether you want to improve your marketing efficiency, increase customer engagement, sharpen your marketing strategy or digitally transform your business. 'Marketing AI Friday' is your weekly guide.

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Marketing AI Friday

With the launch of their own podcast, OpenAI has opened a new channel to delve deeper into the impact of artificial intelligence. In the first episode, CEO Sam Altman himself joins host Andrew Mayne for a conversation about parenting, the future of GPT-5, and what still sets us apart as humans in a world full of AI.

AI as a daily companion

Altman immediately gives a personal example of how ChatGPT has become intertwined with his daily life. As a young father, he uses the model to ask questions about baby care, sleep routines and development. Not because he has no other resources, but because it is fast, smart and surprisingly empathetic.

That detail says a lot about how AI is positioning itself in users' lives. It is no longer a stand-alone application, but an extension of how we think, search and decide. Furthermore, Altman expects that children growing up now will take AI for granted, as if it was always there.

The route to GPT-5 (and beyond).

According to Altman, GPT-5 is coming this summer. Still, he cautions that the difference from earlier models is becoming increasingly diffuse, precisely because updates are ongoing these days. What matters now is not the jump between versions but the reliability and consistency of the system you deploy.

For marketing teams integrating AI tools into their processes, this means you can't blindly rely on "version numbers." To know which model is best to use, you need to understand how a model reasons, what tradeoffs it makes and how your output is affected by inputs.

Trust and transparency as a strategic foundation

Another notable point in the conversation is Altman's outspoken stance around privacy and advertising. He explicitly mentions that OpenAI opposes practices that store or commercially exploit user data in undesirable ways. He also emphasizes that ads, should it ever come to that, should never influence the output of the model.

New devices for a new era

Also interesting is OpenAI's collaboration with Jony Ive, former Apple designer, on a more intuitive AI device. The underlying idea is that our current hardware was built before the AI revolution. Interfaces are not tailored to how we interact with models like ChatGPT today. This aligns with how users will soon search for information, consume content and experience brands.

Imagine if voice, context and location start playing as big a role in your marketing strategy as SEO and social do now. Then you need to consider how AI affects user control as early as the design phase of your campaigns.

Human skills remain valuable

Finally, Altman shares a message that goes to the heart of good marketing: technology is powerful, but human skills remain crucial. Creativity, empathy and resilience, he says, are skills to be nurtured precisely in a world where AI is increasingly taking over.

Take a leap forward in your marketing AI transformation every week

Every Friday, we bring you the latest insights, news and real-world examples on the impact of AI in the marketing world. Whether you want to improve your marketing efficiency, increase customer engagement, sharpen your marketing strategy or digitally transform your business. 'Marketing AI Friday' is your weekly guide.

Sign up for Marketing AI Friday for free.

Marketing AI Friday

Creative AI tool Midjourney has made the move to video. With the introduction of its first video model, V1, users can now animate static images into fluid visuals. In doing so, Midjourney is opening new doors for visual content, but at the same time ending up in a legal dispute with big names like Disney and NBCUniversal.

From still to moving in one click

At the heart of Midjourney's new feature is simplicity: select a generated image, click "Animate," and the tool generates a short video. This requires no complicated prompt or external software. And perhaps more importantly, this feature is already available for the $10 subscription, making it immediately accessible to a large group of users.

The generated videos are distinguished by their style. Where many AI tools still struggle with realistic animation, Midjourney feels handcrafted. The transition from image to video retains the character and visual language of the original design. That's precisely what makes it interesting for content professionals: you can create visual stories with a consistent level of style previously achievable only with manual production.

Image model V7: more control and personalization

The video feature does not stand alone. Midjourney has also updated its image model to V7, allowing for more control and consistency. An overview of the new features:

  • Omni-Reference: work with reference images for consistent characters or objects - useful for recurring formats or branding.
  • Personalization Profiles: teach the model your preferences based on choices between sample outputs.
  • Style References: give a visual style to your prompt by using existing images.
  • Draft Mode: allows images to render up to ten times faster in a dynamic, live stream.

All these features can also be combined with the new video feature. That means: you start with a visual profile that fits your brand, you generate images in your own style, and you immediately bring them to life in video format.

Legal storm: clash with Disney and NBCU

At the same time, Midjourney faces a serious challenge. Disney and NBCUniversal have filed a lawsuit for alleged copyright infringement. They accuse Midjourney of using images of popular characters such as Elsa, Darth Vader and the Minions without a license.

The studios' demand is clear: damages and a break from the video feature until better copyright protection is in place. They blame Midjourney for ignoring earlier warnings and point to the relatively small company's lack of legal resilience.

Bottomless pit of plagiarism

This case goes beyond just Midjourney. Major studios increasingly view generative AI as a threat to their IP. They call AI models "bottomless pits of plagiarism." That shows how vulnerable these kinds of tools are as long as there are no clear rules about what is and is not allowed.

What does this mean for marketers?

The timing of the update and the lawsuit is no coincidence. While tools like Midjourney are lowering the creative bar, there is simultaneously more pressure for ethical and legal use. For marketers, this means: you can indeed work faster, more creatively and visually stronger but stay aware of where your images are coming from and how you are deploying them.

For now, the video feature just remains available. And if you deploy Midjourney with an eye for style and responsibility, it can be a valuable accelerator in your content strategy. Especially now that visual formats such as shorts and reels are dominant in online communications.

Take a leap forward in your marketing AI transformation every week

Every Friday, we bring you the latest insights, news and real-world examples on the impact of AI in the marketing world. Whether you want to improve your marketing efficiency, increase customer engagement, sharpen your marketing strategy or digitally transform your business. 'Marketing AI Friday' is your weekly guide.

Sign up for Marketing AI Friday for free.

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At the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple laid out its vision for the future of mobile operating systems. With the introduction of iOS 26, and the parallel updates for iPadOS, macOS and other platforms, the brand is setting a clear course: consistency in design and subtle, practical integration of AI. For marketers, this change not only offers new user experiences, but also opportunities to respond to changing behavior and expectations.

Liquid Glass: one design for all screens

The most notable innovation is the universal design called Liquid Glass. This brings all Apple operating systems visually into line with each other. Think transparent elements, a smoother transition between windows, and a visual depth that makes interaction more intuitive. For brands, this means that the visual context in which content is consumed changes, an opportunity to extend creative formats and visual consistency across multiple devices.

The version numbers of all operating systems are being aligned to 26. With this, Apple is not only creating a symbolic reset, but also clarity in its ecosystem – something that benefits users, developers and marketers.

Apple Intelligence: AI that works, without being noticed

While other players in the tech industry mainly boast spectacular AI assistants, Apple chooses a different route. With Apple Intelligence, the company focuses on concrete functionality, packaged in privacy-friendly applications. Think of smart tools that quietly enrich daily use. Some examples in which subtle AI is incorporated:

  • Live Translation translates conversations in real-time on the device itself. Ideal for international customer service or users on the go – and most importantly, the translated data stays local, building trust.
  • Visual Intelligence understands context. See an event in a message? Apple will immediately suggest adding it to your calendar. For marketers, this means an extra bridge between content and action, if the interface plays smartly into this.
  • AI Workout Coach on Apple Watch adapts workout advice based on personal data. For health brands and sports-related campaigns, this opens the door to hyper-personalized communication.

Apple’s AI approach may not be the loudest on the market, but it is cleverly integrated. And that’s exactly what makes it interesting for marketing strategies.

iPadOS becomes a productivity machine

For users, and especially for professionals, the iPadOS update brings significant improvements. With a more flexible windowing system and a full-fledged menu bar, the iPad comes closer to a laptop experience. This makes the platform more attractive for content creation, multitasking and business use.

Developers get direct access to AI models

One of the most strategic moves is that Apple is opening the door to developers. They will have access to Apple’s own AI models, right on the device. This not only means faster processing without an internet connection, but also more control over how AI is deployed in apps.

For marketing and app teams, this is a huge opportunity. Think of features like personalized search results, local recommendations or contextual content, all without having to rely on external servers.

What does this mean for marketers?

Apple’s direction is clear: technology that truly helps people, without hogging their data. For marketers, this is both a challenge and an opportunity. Functional, privacy-conscious technology forces brands to become more relevant, trustworthy, and subtle in their communications. The tools are there, it’s up to developers (and marketers) to use them creatively and ethically.

With iOS 26, Apple is not only making a design statement, it is also introducing a new form of smart assistance: visible when needed, invisible when necessary. And that is what future-proof marketing is all about.

Take a leap forward in your marketing AI transformation every week

Every Friday, we bring you the latest insights, news and real-world examples on the impact of AI in the marketing world. Whether you want to improve your marketing efficiency, increase customer engagement, sharpen your marketing strategy or digitally transform your business. 'Marketing AI Friday' is your weekly guide.

Sign up for Marketing AI Friday for free.

Marketing AI Friday

AI-generated voices often sound just barely believable. Too flat or clinical. With the introduction of ElevenLabs v3, a much more human form of speech becomes available, full of nuance, emotion and direction. For marketers who want to create content that really touches people, this is a game changer.

More emotion and direction thanks to audio tags

With the introduction of "audio tags" such as [sad], [excited] or [whispers], users can now precisely control the tone and emotion of the generated voice. These tags make it possible to add nonverbal cues, such as sighs or laughter, making speech more natural and immersive. In addition, ElevenLabs v3 supports multi-speaker dialogues, including pauses and tone changes. Ideal for realistic conversations in audiobooks or interactive content.

Multilingual content for global reach

The model supports more than 70 languages, making it suitable for a wide range of international applications. Whether producing videos, audiobooks or other forms of content, ElevenLabs v3 offers the flexibility and expressiveness needed to reach a global audience.

From voice to video in one click

One notable new feature is the ability to convert generated voice recordings directly into short videos. With a few clicks, users within ElevenLabs can choose a style and download the video, ready to share on social media or other platforms. This significantly speeds up the content creation process and this gives marketers an efficient way to spread their message.

ElevenLabs v3 is powerful, but not yet a real-time model

It is important to note that ElevenLabs v3 currently requires more prompt engineering than earlier models. For real-time applications, v2.5 is still recommended for now, as v3 is not yet optimized for direct interaction. A real-time variant of ElevenLabs v3 is under development.

A powerful tool for creative content marketing

For marketers striving for authentic content, ElevenLabs v3 is a powerful tool for bringing stories to life. With the combination of advanced audio tags, multi-speaker support and multilingual capabilities, this model opens new doors for creative expression and effective communication.

Take a leap forward in your marketing AI transformation every week

Every Friday, we bring you the latest insights, news and real-world examples on the impact of AI in the marketing world. Whether you want to improve your marketing efficiency, increase customer engagement, sharpen your marketing strategy or digitally transform your business. 'Marketing AI Friday' is your weekly guide.

Sign up for Marketing AI Friday for free.

Marketing AI Friday

Creating and editing videos has long since ceased to be a time-consuming production job. With tools like Descript, content creation becomes accessible to anyone who wants to tell a story. Descript takes another step forward with a completely redesigned timeline and the introduction of the AI video editor.

What is Descript?

Descript is an AI-powered content editor that lets you edit audio and video as if you were working in a word processor. You can transcribe your recording, correct mistakes, remove pauses, cut scenes and even re-record pieces in your own voice. Ideal for marketers who want to quickly create professional content without the need for a video agency or extensive post-production.

A new timeline: smarter and more intuitive

Descript introduces a completely redesigned timeline that makes video editing even more accessible. This update, now available as a beta in Descript Labs, brings more visibility and speed to your workflow.

What has changed?

  • The scene rail is integrated into the timeline. So you no longer have to switch between two windows to organize scenes. The text editor now shows thumbnails of your scenes, providing a better visual overview.
  • Everything you select in the canvas automatically appears in the timeline. This allows you to immediately see what you are editing.
  • Clips and word breaks are now easy to drag and drop. That sounds small, but it makes a big difference in accessibility.
  • Finally, you can now split scenes with a single click, allowing you to restructure much faster.

Meet Underlord: your AI co-editor

The biggest innovation, however, is in something (or rather, someone) else: Underlord. This is Descript's AI editor that can compose, improve and optimize videos based on your instructions. You work with Underlord as you would work with a colleague. You indicate via a simple chat what you want to create, for example a short social video from a podcast episode, and Underlord then comes up with a plan, executes it for you and gives advice where necessary. He reads your script, understands your directions and knows exactly how all the features work within Descript.

Underlord is available immediately in open beta.

What does this mean for marketers?

For content marketers working with audio and video, Descript once again lowers the barrier to producing quality content. You don't have to be an editor to create impactful content. With the new timeline, you work faster, clearer and more efficiently. And with Underlord, video editing is partially automated without losing control of your work.

Take a leap forward in your marketing AI transformation every week

Every Friday, we bring you the latest insights, news and real-world examples on the impact of AI in the marketing world. Whether you want to improve your marketing efficiency, increase customer engagement, sharpen your marketing strategy or digitally transform your business. 'Marketing AI Friday' is your weekly guide.

Sign up for Marketing AI Friday for free.

Marketing AI Friday

Shopify, in its Summer '25 Edition, shows where the future of e-commerce is moving with AI in an increasingly central role. With a series of smart updates, Shopify is changing the way webshops are built, managed and optimized.

Build a complete web shop with one prompt

Imagine this: you type in a short description of your brand and within seconds your web shop is live. No wireframes, no developers, no endless rounds of feedback with a designer. With the new AI Store Builder within Shopify, this is possible. Tailored to your input, Shopify automatically generates layouts, images and content blocks.

On top of that comes the new Horizon theme, in which you can use AI to create specific parts of your Web site. Simply ask for "a summer banner" and the system delivers ready-made visuals and text.

Getting a grip on your brand in the AI era

As more and more consumers shop via AI assistants, a new challenge arises: how do you ensure your brand story remains consistent, even beyond your own channels? Shopify is responding to this with the introduction of the Knowledge Base app.

This app lets you control what information AIs are allowed to share about your brand. For example, unique product features, brand values or return policies. This allows you to keep your brand identity sharp, even when customers shop through tools like ChatGPT or Google's Gemini instead of your own site. AI distribution becomes scalable for marketers, without sacrificing brand consistency.

Sidekick now really thinks with you

Shopify's smart assistant Sidekick is getting a substantial upgrade. Whereas before he was mainly a convenient chatbot, he now has much deeper reasoning capabilities. He analyzes data, makes connections and proactively makes recommendations.

Notice an unexplained drop in conversion? Sidekick looks into your analytics and spots possible causes. A spike in traffic through an unknown channel? He helps you build on that opportunity. And the best part: you can ask him questions via voice or screenshare.

From building to optimizing

The common thread in these updates? AI makes building Web shops so easy that there is more room for true optimization. Instead of wasting time on technical obstacles, marketing teams can focus on brand strategy, customer experience and conversion.

Shopify seems to be setting a new standard with this: e-commerce tools that not only adapt to your processes, but that think with and ahead of your team.

What does this mean for you as a marketer?

If you work with Shopify or have clients who do, these are not nice-to-haves but rather a must-have. They change the way you do your work. You can shift gears faster, testing becomes easier and insights are more immediately applicable. The entire e-commerce chain from concept to conversion becomes shorter, smarter and more personal.

Moreover, there will be a clear shift in roles: less dependence on external agencies or technical partners, more direction by the marketing team itself.

Take a leap forward in your marketing AI transformation every week

Every Friday, we bring you the latest insights, news and real-world examples on the impact of AI in the marketing world. Whether you want to improve your marketing efficiency, increase customer engagement, sharpen your marketing strategy or digitally transform your business. 'Marketing AI Friday' is your weekly guide.

Sign up for Marketing AI Friday for free.

Marketing AI Friday

Google put full bets on AI at I/O 2025 this week. Everything revolved around Gemini. From search to Android, from XR glasses to Workspace, AI took center stage. CEO Sundar Pichai summed it up as, "AI is the new Search." For marketers, this means a shift from optimizing for humans to optimizing for AIs that make decisions on behalf of humans.

AI Mode in Search: from search results to real-time actions

In the new AI Mode of Google Search (already live in the US, the Netherlands will follow later this year) you don't get a list of blue links, but instant answers with visual context, current data and interactive features. You ask a question, and you immediately get, for example, customized product comparisons, shopping advice influsive virtual fitting room, booking or reservations or multimodal searches by voice or camera.

Powered by Deep Search, Google runs dozens of searches, analyzes the results and presents them as one clear, personalized answer. As a user, you don't have to filter or compare anything; the AI does that. Where before you optimized content based on search terms and ranking algorithms, now you optimize for AIs that understand context, make connections and perform actions. Google sees this as the future of search: "from information to intelligence."

Gemini models: the engine behind AI-first content

Central to this development are the new Gemini models:

  • Gemini 2.5 Pro: the most advanced model used by Deep Think for complex reasoning tasks.
  • Gemini 2.5 Flash: blazingly fast and efficient, perfect for scale
  • Gemini Ultra: new high-end subscription form ($250 per month) with access to the full suite, including Imagen 4 and Veo 3

So the tools you can use become smarter, faster and more personalized. With "thinking budgets," you even determine how much computing power the AI can use for a task, offering balance between speed and depth.

Content creation: from idea to output in one prompt

Google's content creation tools have also improved considerably. With:

  • Imagen 4: advanced image model. Better in details, typography and speed.
  • Veo 3: improved video model and first with audio. It generates motion, background sounds and conversations of characters. Type a prompt and the video is generated, with sound and all the trimmings.
  • Flow: creative AI tool that lets you build and expand scenes with text prompts, visuals and video. Used by directors of A24 and others.
  • Canvas: lets you generate your own reports, presentations and even podcasts based on your files or research.

Even music production received attention with Lyria 2, focused on professional audio with human emotion.

Agentic AI: tasks off your hands, processes automated

With Project Mariner (now advanced into Agent Mode), AI independently performs tasks on your behalf. These include using websites, filling out forms, multitasking and learning tasks via teach & repeat.

This functionality will be integrated into Search, Chrome and the Gemini App. AI thus becomes not only an advisor, but also an executor.

Personalized AI, your style, your content

By giving Gemini access to your Gmail, Drive, calendar or search history, the system creates responses in your tone and style. This makes marketing communications via email, search results or customer service not only more relevant, but more personal without any extra work on your part.

What does this mean for your marketing?

The classic SEO game is changing. Generic searches yield AI answers and not organic search results. From now on, your brand's visibility depends on how well your content is understood by AI. This calls for an AI-first content strategy:

  • Structured data and schema markup are essential to properly display your information within AI answers.
  • Company profiles (Google My Company) should be right down to the last detail: up-to-date info, relevant categories, and positive reviews.
  • Visual content is becoming more important than ever, including metadata, titles, ALT text and 3D models.
  • Multimodal content (text, image, video, audio) increases your chances of being visible in various forms within Gemini or other AI platforms.

A tip to see where you stand in terms of findability: ask AI tools such as Gemini or ChatGPT about your product category. Are you not being mentioned? Then it's time to align your content strategy with AI.

Take a leap forward in your marketing AI transformation every week

Every Friday, we bring you the latest insights, news and real-world examples on the impact of AI in the marketing world. Whether you want to improve your marketing efficiency, increase customer engagement, sharpen your marketing strategy or digitally transform your business. 'Marketing AI Friday' is your weekly guide.

Sign up for Marketing AI Friday for free.

Marketing AI Friday

A quiet landslide is taking place in how people search online. Whereas for decades Google was the starting point of virtually every digital search, that is now shifting toward AI, and Apple is in the thick of it.

Apple considers switching to AI

During the antitrust case against Google, Eddy Cue, senior vice president at Apple, stated that the company is seriously looking at alternative search solutions to integrate into Safari. Not to other search engines such as Bing, but to AI tools: ChatGPT, Perplexity and Anthropic.

For the first time, Apple is seeing a decline in searches through Safari. Not because people are searching less, but because users are searching via AI first.

Why this is a bash for Google

Google pays an estimated $20 billion a year to remain the default search engine in Safari. That amount represents a whopping 36% of Google's total ad revenue from Safari traffic. If Apple adds AI options or directs some search traffic to other platforms, Google's revenue model will come under immediate pressure.

No search means no ad. No ad means no revenue. And without exclusivity, the dominant market share disappears. According to analyst Gil Luria, advertisers will reallocate their budgets once there are real alternatives to Google.

AI radically changes search behavior

Recent figures from Andy Crestodina show that:

  • 62% of people use an AI chatbot daily
  • 51% wanting to expand usage
  • 49% expect AI to replace traditional search engines

Google is still mostly used for practical questions ("what time does this store close?"), while AI is increasingly the starting point for broader information needs.

Apple is cleverly capitalizing on this. Not only by adding AI access to Safari, but also by working on a ChatGPT integration within Siri. Meanwhile, Google is trying to get its own Gemini model onto Apple devices. The AI arms race is in full swing.

SEO shifts, AIO emerges

For marketers, this shift means one thing: The era of Google-first marketing is beginning to tilt. The influence of traditional SEO is noticeably diminishing, especially on searches that are informative or general in nature. Where previously a high position in Google guaranteed visibility, we now see that more and more users are already getting their answer without clicking through. This so-called zero-click behavior means less traffic to websites, even if you are still technically ranking well.

At the same time, a new reality is emerging in which AI discovery is central. No longer does a search engine's algorithm decide which links are at the top, but an AI assistant decides which information is relevant enough to display. In that context, content must not only be findable, but also understandable and reliable for AI systems. That requires structured data, content with clear source citations and a strong focus on originality and authority. Content that meets these requirements will soon have the best chance of actually being seen and trusted.

What further increases in importance are channels that are harder to automate: personal recommendations, communities, influencers, podcasts, live sessions, webinars. In short: content that is hard to replicate and builds trust.

What can you do?

Test how your brand scores in AI environments. Ask ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, Claude or Perplexity about solutions and services in your area of operation. Ask questions like your target audience might ask. See if and how you are mentioned. If this is not to your liking, then it is time to take action.

Take a leap forward in your marketing AI transformation every week

Every Friday, we bring you the latest insights, news and real-world examples on the impact of AI in the marketing world. Whether you want to improve your marketing efficiency, increase customer engagement, sharpen your marketing strategy or digitally transform your business. 'Marketing AI Friday' is your weekly guide.

Sign up for Marketing AI Friday for free.

Marketing AI Friday