No, ChatGPT Won't Make Marketing and Search Irrelevant (At Least for Now)

The launch of OpenAI's ChatGPT amazed users with its natural conversational AI ability and racked up a million users in just five days. Competitors responded quickly, with Google launching its own AI tool and Microsoft investing in OpenAI, leading many to wonder if AI tools would overtake traditional search. AI could replace some marketing roles, but its capacity to overtake search is limited due to high technology costs, accuracy concerns, and Microsoft's search position.

Marketers should use the tool to increase efficiency and keep humans involved in vetting and approving results. Plus, they should get to know Bing, as the ChatGPT integration could draw in new users who can be reached with Bing's SEM tools. AI technology has nearly unlimited potential and marketers must stay engaged to ensure they don't get left behind.

ChatGPT is not ready for unsupervised work and is cost-prohibitive to monetize. There's also no guarantee that real world users would convert through a chatbot than they would through a search bar. Such tension means there will always be a benefit of having human advocates working in the SEM space. Marketers must be proficient users with an eye for finding efficiencies or creating force multipliers.