Get stuck into fast facts, or deep detail on this week’s hottest tech snacks.
Google plans to upgrade search with AI chat, video clips
Google is planning to make its search engine more “visual, snackable, personal, and human,” with a focus on serving young people globally.
The move comes as artificial intelligence (AI) applications such as ChatGPT tech that are rapidly gaining in popularity, highlighting a technology that could upend the way businesses and society operate.
Microsoft is testing Ad placements in Windows 11’s settings menu
Microsoft seems determined to fit ads into every part of the Windows 11 experience and is now testing ads in the Settings menu.
Previously the company had started offering brands the chance to buy inventory in the Start menu but, in the latest Insider Preview build 23451, users have spotted new slots for promos in the Settings menu.
The shots were from a very early days test build of an updated version of Windows but show a new “Home” tab in the Settings menu that includes a notice to “Try Microsoft 365,” offering a link to a free trial of the company’s office apps suite.
Advertising suitability report points to the need for holistic approach
The wide spectrum of digital content that consumers now access has a tendency to scare brands into advertising caution as an ill-suited placement risks a damaged reputation.
To help companies understand exactly what impacts audience perception of advertising suitability, marketing analytics company DoubleVerify has released a new study in partnership with Publicis Media into key appropriateness elements. The ‘Factors that Influence Brand Safety and Suitability’ report points to a dynamic environment with no universal best approach.
Mate Announces AR ads for Instagram Reels & Facebook Stories
Meta has announced that advertisers will soon be able to use augmented reality (AR) filters in sponsored Instagram Reels and Facebook Stories.
Announced at the IAB’s NewFronts in New York, the changes build on Meta’s previous use of AR tech in ads for the Facebook and Instagram Feeds and Instagram Stories. According to Meta, these ads drove incremental ad recall with the 18-24-year-old demographic 87 per cent of the time, outperforming non-AR-enabled ads.
How it started v how it’s going: 2023 budget’s small surplus and an improved outlook
Forecasting is a notoriously difficult endeavour, especially when it comes to budgets that are subject to changing spending priorities and economic conditions, often outside of government control.
The short interval between last year’s election-delayed budget in October, and the current May budget, should mean the difference between forecasts is closer. On this occasion, the financial books have generally improved, with most of the main metrics showing a better-than-expected outlook.