Whether you're already embracing AI, or have been keeping it at arms length - we'll be breaking down the latest in generative search and how to leverage AI in marketing to help you stay up to date with the ever-evolving world of Artificial Intelligence.

This month we'll be discussing:

• Generative AI results: How reliable are they?
• Accessible AI professional certificates
• Meta advertising AI updates
• Google's new guide to using Google Trends
  

1. Generative AI results: How reliable are they

Let's start with what are Generative AI results...

Googles Generative AI in Search feature was rolled out earlier in the year, with the intention of making the searching process easier by showing you the most relevant information at the top of the page quickly.

It combines sources from all over Google to give you an overarching answer to your query whilst also linking to the most relevant sites to find more information.

However, are reliability and accuracy being overlooked just to give you the fastest answer?

So lets look at some numbers;

A recent study found that the overviews provide misleading or inaccurate information (in 43% of finance-related searches).

The study evaluated the results of 100 personal finance queries, they showed;

57% of AI overviews were accurate

43% contained misleading or inaccurate information

12% were completely incorrect

31% were either misleading or missing crucial details

The 57% included very basic definitions or queries. Whereas the 43%, which were more complex (or niche) questions, provided the inaccurate or misleading information.

What does that mean for us?

Whilst that study relates specifically to finance queries, it highlights that the Generative results should be used with caution and further research may be needed on specialty topics.

There is some debate to be had whether these inaccuracies could be due to PageSpeed. The original AI tools like Gemini, Bard or ChatGPT will take their time to generate an answer to give the closest result - but imagine if that's how long it took for a search engine result to load?

Google could be pushing these answers out fast to avoid slowing down the SERP and keeping users using Google.

Ultimately, Generative AI results is still relatively early in its development so whilst it can be useful to get quick answers to simple questions like 'what to have for dinner', I would recommend additional reading for life’s more existential questions.

2. Accessible AI professional certificates

We all see that AI is becoming more and more prominent in the workplace, but understanding how to harness and apply it to your day to day isn’t always straightforward.

To combat this, LinkedIn have recently expanded their range of expert-led courses to include AI skills in the workplace. Not only have they listed 3 new specialised courses (focusing on recruiting, HR and learning development), they have also made several existing courses available for free until the end of the year.

LinkedIn has data to suggest that 68% of job skills will transform by 2030, highlighting the need for AI upskilling or companies (and individual professionals) risk falling behind.

“Business leaders who fail to devote the resources necessary to reskill and upskill their AI talent risk falling behind companies who are making these investments and seeing productivity gains from leveraging this technology.”

-Karin Kimbrough, LinkedIn’s chief economist

This could be the start of more rollouts of free courses in various sectors, so keep your eyes peeled for more!

3. Meta advertising AI updates

New Meta reports suggest that 60% of user time on Facebook and Instagram is now spent watching videos.

With this in mind, Meta have announced a few new features to prioritise video content, including;

New video tab

• A new tab on Facebook to consolidate Reels, longer videos, and live content in one place

AI-powered ad creation tools are expanding.

• Video Expansion to create a more immersive viewing experience
• Image Animation to turn static images into video content for Instagram Reels

New tools for partnership ads

• Creator content integrated into collections ads
• A new format for adding creator testimonials to ads
• A centralised Partnership Ads Hub in Ads Manager

4. Google's new guide to using Google Trends

Google Trends is a tool designed to help marketers and publishers understand how people find information on Google Search.

It can help you develop your content strategy and refine how you talk to your audience, to make sure you are creating helpful, people-first content.

Google Search Central has multiple guides on different aspects of Google Search, from crawling and indexing to specific site guides. The newest addition to this list is a guide on how to use Google Trends for SEO.

“Google Trends can be helpful not only to get ideas on what to write, but also to prioritize when to publish it. To help you better prioritize which topics to focus on, try to find seasonal trends in the data. With that information, you can plan ahead to have high quality content available on your site a little before people are searching for it, so that when they do, your content is ready for them.” - Google

The guide serves as an introduction for newcomers and a refresher for experienced marketers and publishers. It’s split into six sections:

1. About Google Trends
2. Tutorial on monitoring trends
3. How to do keyword research with the tool
4. How to prioritise content with Trends data
5. How to use Google Trends for competitor research
6. How to use Google Trends for analysing brand awareness and sentiment

One key highlight of the document is centered around the content calendar feature. Not only can you research what to write, the vast amount of data available can help you prioritise when you post it.

So next time you are stuck on a blog topic, or want to know what’s going on in your industry - you can use this guide to help you navigate Google Trends.