Responsible generative AI use, the demise of the third-party cookie, and personalization
Data Axle prides itself on staying abreast of the latest advertising and martech trends. The marketplace is constantly changing and evolving, and we have our pulse on where things are and where they’re headed. When we’re not following the trends, we’re setting them. We’re challenging the status quo. We’re making waves. And, most importantly, we’re constantly innovating in creative ways to stay ahead of the curve.
It may not come as a big surprise, but the industry is still buzzing over the future of generative AI (GenAI) and its implications – such as the necessity of it, and our responsibility to use it responsibly. GenAI, though not new, still lacks a lot of structure in terms of controls (both internal and external), best practices for use, regulations, and clear intellectual property ownership. The risks of Gen AI are yet to be fully recognized, and while this is generally true for new technologies, how AI-generated content is treated still leaves more questions than answers. But that is soon to change.
This month, AdExchanger reported progress in its piece, “Europe’s AI Act Nudges Advertisers Toward Responsible Generative AI Use,” in which it goes into detail about upcoming changes Europe is making in its recently apposed Artificial (AI) Act. “Five years in the making, the AI Act – the world’s first sweeping AI regulation – may serve as a template for other laws around the world.” What does this mean for companies? “Once Europe’s AI Act takes full effect this spring, companies that develop generative AI models will be required, after a year, to abide by EU copyright law and summarize in detail what data they use to train their models. Companies must also label AI-generated content.” There are also limitations for how one uses AI, and manipulated audio, images and videos must be labeled as such.
Industry experts were asked if the AI Act will put a damper on enthusiasm on AI, but they shared a generally positive sentiment to the new regulations and the impact they will have on consumer trust, transparency and the ability to mitigate risk.
Another hot topic that has been years in the making and continues to be top of mind for many marketers is the demise of Google’s third-party cookies. Digiday, AdAge and The Drum, among others, all have varied opinions on what this means and so do major businesses as they begin to realize the effects of cookie deprecation. In Digiday’s piece, “Advertisers Slowly Acknowledge that Measurement, not Targeting, Might be the Bigger Cookie Deprecation Challenge,” the question of measurement takes the spotlight as marketers “must navigate the murky waters of determining their own truth. But there seems to be a promising pass as marketers, to overcome this challenge, “have started to reassess their approaches to three aspects of their measurement plans: attribution, media mix modeling and experimental solutions.”
Personalization is another theme that The Drum covers in its article, “5 of the top CMO priorities today, from AI & cookieless personalization to funnel collapse.” It contends that “a growing data privacy movement is upending the status quo for the advertising industry, with increasing signal loss on the open web creating new hurdles to ad targeting and measurement.” The solution? They’re seeing CMOs “building out their first-party data strategies, investing in contextual targeting, assessing a swath of new interoperable privacy-safe ID solutions and looking to partner with networks that have an abundance of anonymized audience data.” This goes to say, that while cookies may be a thing of the past, data strength is only growing, and companies can use data to fill in the gaps and create robust and effective marketing strategies in powerful new ways.
At Data Axle, we know and understand the value of data for our clients and look upon the evolving marketplace with curiosity and excitement. Will cookie deprecation be a disruptor? Of course, but it also presents new opportunities. Will GenAI shake up the industry? Yes, but with careful planning and implementation and solid governance, we think this is an exciting time and look forward to what it will bring.
We’ve been making headlines too! Some highlights include:
Be sure to check back next month for the latest industry happenings, trends, Data Axle news, observations, and thought leadership. We’ve been experiencing a lot of growth and have some exciting announcements coming soon.
Courtney is a seasoned communications and public relations professional with 17+ years of experience working in both the public and private sectors in diverse leadership roles. As Data Axle’s Senior Public Relations Manager, she is intently focused on elevating the company’s media relations presence and increasing brand loyalty and awareness through landing coverage in top-tier media outlets.