In a fresh development, i was just speaking with a coworker who asked an AI for help in opening a brokerage account, and he told me how it doled out some general tips before recommending a specific investment firm, praising its easy-to-use website and even serving up a ready-to-click URL.
The report highlights that wait, my colleague wondered: Was that a sponsored answer?
Industry observers note that i’m pretty sure the answer my friend got wasn’t actually an ad; more likely, the AI had searched some how-to sites on the web and may have picked up one written by that particular brokerage.
The report highlights that welcome to another edition of Prompt Mode, your weekly AI newsletter.
In a fresh development, each week on Prompt Mode, I’ll be serving up analysis of the AI trends that matter to everyday users like you and me. Stay tuned for practical AI tips, hands-on experiences with the most recent AI tools, and–you guessed it–prompts to help you get the most out of your AI assistants. I’m your host, Ben Patterson.
As part of the ongoing story, thanks for reading, and if you like what you see, just sign up right here.
The report highlights that we’re already wary (as we should be) of AI doling out hallucinations in its conversations with us. Soon, we’ll be wondering more and more whether an AI’s answer has been bought and paid for. But that very doubt about the AI’s reply is the point.
As part of the ongoing story, in a fresh “Conversational Discovery” ad that Google is testing in AI Mode, Gemini’s answer to a user question would include a sponsored, Gemini-written “creative” that’s “tailored to that search,” basically weaving the ad into Gemini’s answer. Just this week, Google demonstrated how it’s starting to blur the line between AI answers and ads.
As part of the ongoing story, in another AI Mode ad unit that Google is testing, a sponsored ad crafted by Gemini could be included as a “Highlighted Answer” to a question, appearing alongside other non-sponsored content.
Industry observers note that in each of these ad units, Google says that Gemini will serve the role of an “AI explainer” that “evaluates and synthesizes information about a product or service” and “displays that context alongside the advertiser’s creative.” Gemini’s “coherent, independent response ensures transparency and builds trust,” Google continues.
The report highlights that now, it’s important to note that Conversational Discovery and Highlighted Answer ad units (as well as fresh AI-powered Shopping ads in Google Search) are clearly labeled as “Sponsored.” And in the case of the “conversational” ads, the sponsored Gemini content appears in a marked-off section just below the main, non-sponsored answer.
Industry observers note that with Google’s fresh ads units, Gemini is integrating the sponsored content into the context of the user’s question. That’s a big–and probably inevitable–change. Still, these fresh Gemini-written ads are going a step beyond the familiar static ad units served in ChatGPT.
The report highlights that and while Google is being scrupulous about labeling sponsored Gemini answers as ads, I can imagine the temptation for other marketers to make those “sponsored” bugs smaller and smaller, while weaving AI-written ad copy into AI answers tighter and tighter.
In a fresh development, if I had a nickel for each time ChatGPT told me I’d “hit the nail on the head” or made a “beautiful” observation, I’d go buy lots of things. AI just loved to praise us.
In a fresh development, a better approach is a prompt that’s so blunt, so direct, it acts as a shock to AI’s system, the equivalent to Cher’s “snap out of it!” moment in Moonstruck. Flattery is so ingrained in AI models that it can be hard to get them to stop, even when you tell them directly.
According to the latest update, this “anti-sycophany” prompt doesn’t literally slap an AI in the face, but it will get it to drop the praise and–finally–tell it to you straight.
In a fresh development, want more next week? Don’t forget to sign up to start receiving this newsletter in your inbox. See you next time! Thanks for reading the most recent issue of Prompt Mode.
As part of the ongoing story, his coverage of artificial intelligence interrogates the most recent LLMs, and how they can be used at work and at home to be best prepared for the AI revolution. “AI is going to change our lives sooner than we think,” Ben writes. “Our best way to adapt is by using it every day.” Ben has been a PCWorld author since 2014, and has covered everything from laptops to security cameras before launching PCWorld’s AI beat. Ben's articles have also appeared in PC Magazine, TIME, Wired, CNET, Men's Fitness, Mobile Magazine, and more. Ben holds a master's degree in English literature. Ben has been writing about consumer technology for more than 20 years, and now focuses his reporting on AI as it relates to the basic human experience.