Google gears up its AI play: where will it take digital businesses?

Published: July 04, 2023

min read

In recent years, data privacy concerns have only mounted. As an impact of this, the privacy regulations have become more stringent, with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) being constantly updated. It makes the journey even more challenging for businesses to reach their target audiences.

On the other hand, the advancement and application of new technologies, like generative AI, have taken the tech world by storm. Everyone in the industry, from Google to Microsoft to Adobe to Salesforce, leverages it efficiently and is constantly making headlines with AI-related updates.

Recently, Google revised its privacy policies to enable the company to gather and evaluate information shared online by users in order to train its AI models.

Google claims that it will use this data to improve its services and create new AI-powered products.

The revised policy represents a significant departure from Google's previous terms of service. Prior to this update, Google's policy stated that it used user data to enhance "language" models.

Google now retains the right to employ user data for bettering all of its "AI" models and products, like translation systems, text generation systems, and cloud AI services.

Indeed, it cautions internet users to be cautious about the information they post online.

As of July 1st, 2023, the new change is already in effect.

What does the update mean for CDAOs?

It is undeniable that the generative AI tools available in the market and the new AI features incorporated into search engines and popular martech tools are outright beneficial for businesses in various ways. Meanwhile, it is equally important for tech platforms and users to balance the use of AI with privacy protection to make it a healthy evolution.

And the noise of regulating the usage of AI has already started, with the Centre for AI Safety recently issuing a statement warning regarding the hazards that AI presents to humanity.

At this point, even though Google says it will use this data to improve its services, we believe the possibility of the tech giant facing legal issues around this new data collection method is higher.

But if Google manages to ensure responsible data usage via this method while complying with relevant data protection laws, then it can benefit businesses in various ways.

With Google collecting and analysing public data to improve its AI systems, businesses using the platform will be able to get a better understanding of their users’ preferences and behaviours. This valuable insight, in turn, will help them create highly personalised customer experiences. As a result, it will lead businesses to see increased user engagement, customer loyalty, and ultimately conversions.
Google’s new move to access public data can empower businesses to conduct more in-depth research about their target market. Correspondingly, marketing teams will be able to easily identify emerging trends and industry insights, which will help them significantly in strategic decision-making and product development processes. It also helps them refine their targeting strategies, reduce ad spend waste, and improve their ROI.
With data-driven insights, Google could potentially deliver more accurate search results and smarter recommendations for users. This, while enhancing the user experience, paves the way for businesses to find new audience segments that they had never found before. Thus, by personalising the advertising content to address their unique preferences and needs, businesses will be able to attract more high-value audiences and expand their brand reach.
Google’s access to public data will also allow businesses to create more accurate and detailed buyer personas. This will help marketing teams considerably to understand their audience's needs and pain points and use the knowledge gained to sharpen their advertising messages and offers to resonate with specific customer segments. As a result, they can better optimise their ad campaigns and effectively spend their marketing budget.

Overall, Google’s new privacy update is nothing less than a super cool bonanza for CDAOs, as it enhances the way for businesses to access more detailed data and take purely data-driven actions. However, it will largely depend on how Google utilises the collected data and handles the concerns that arise as a result of it.

Author

Pete Johnson

Pete is a MarTech expert guru with a knack for getting diverse MarTech solutions work for brands. He has a wealth of experience in working with a plethora of MarTech platforms that dive Personalized Omnichannel Experiences. When he's not at work, you can find him playing basketball or listening to jazz.