MMarketing Against The Grain
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28 December 2023

10 AI Predictions That Will Completely Change Life In 2024 (#186)

2Frameworks
10Insights

Frameworks in this episode

Insights & moments

The myth-busts, hot takes, explainers, and tools worth keeping.

Myth Buster· 1

Myth Buster17:30

More Personalized Marketing May Feel Less Personal

The hosts question whether AI-driven personalization will lose its emotional effect once every brand can generate individually tailored emails, videos, and web pages. Customers may recognize that apparent personal attention was automated, creating a gap between content that is personalized and communication that feels genuinely personal.

  • AI can combine captured and external data for deeper targeting
  • Personalized assets may be generated dynamically across channels
  • Widespread automation could make personalization feel generic
  • Marketers may need to redefine personalization in an AI era

we get so good at personalization that it actually becomes depersonalized

17:30

it doesn't feel personal even though it is personalized towards me

18:30
#personalization#marketing automation#customer experience#ai marketing

Hot Take· 2

Hot Take06:30

Which Tech Giants Will Win the AI Race?

The episode forecasts distinct AI trajectories for Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Meta, Google, and OpenAI. Microsoft is framed as steady, Meta as underrated, Amazon as an infrastructure enabler, Google as a probable AI-search leader, and OpenAI as a candidate for expansion into consumer software.

  • Microsoft benefits from its OpenAI relationship
  • Apple is expected to emerge as a visible AI player
  • Amazon could distribute AI capabilities through AWS
  • Meta's open-source work could elevate its competitive position
  • Google may lead AI search while lagging elsewhere
  • OpenAI could expand into browsers, spreadsheets, email, or hardware

Google figures out AI search better than everyone else

07:30

meta has done some very cool stuff on the AI front

07:00
#big tech#openai#google#meta#ai strategy
Hot Take11:00

The GPT Store Has a Quality-Control Problem

The hosts argue that the GPT Store may fail because creating custom GPTs is too easy and the marketplace lacks an effective quality threshold. They distinguish between useful internal custom bots and a public store capable of discovery and monetization.

  • Low creation friction produces thousands of weak GPTs
  • A marketplace needs meaningful quality controls
  • OpenAI's earlier plugin store did not show strong product-market fit
  • Custom internal bots may remain useful even if the store fails
  • GPT functionality and GPT marketplace viability are separate questions

there's no barrier to entry makes the store unusable

12:00

this is not the app store for open aai

12:30
#gpt store#openai#marketplaces#product strategy

Explainer· 3

Explainer03:30

Why AI Video Could Make Its Biggest Leap in 2024

The hosts compare early AI video tools with the state of image generation at the beginning of 2023. They expect video quality and no-code tooling to improve enough for average marketers to produce usable material, while acknowledging that current systems remain clunky and still benefit from video expertise.

  • Current text-to-video outputs contain obvious visual failures
  • AI image generation offers a precedent for rapid quality improvement
  • No-code video tools could broaden production access
  • Professional expertise will still improve results

the average marketer will be able to ship some form of video next year

03:30

video tools are really hard to miss

05:00
#ai video#video marketing#generative ai
Explainer09:00

Why an M&A Freeze Could Cool AI Startup Valuations

The hosts predict that regulatory resistance will prevent major technology acquisitions, especially in AI. They connect fewer large exits to weaker venture-capital assumptions and lower startup valuations, potentially forcing companies to operate as profitable cash-flow businesses.

  • The blocked Adobe-Figma deal signals regulatory resistance
  • Major AI acquisitions are expected to face intense scrutiny
  • Fewer exits could reduce venture funding expectations
  • Some startups may need to prioritize cash flow over acquisition

no major deals get done especially in the AI space

09:30

the AI startup valuations are going to cool off a little bit

10:00
#m&a#ai startups#venture capital#regulation
Explainer19:00

AI Search Could Cannibalize Organic Traffic in 2024

The episode predicts that organic search will experience the most disruptive downside from AI as Google integrates generative answers and users increasingly ask AI systems directly. Stack Overflow is offered as an early example of a site losing visits when users obtain answers elsewhere.

  • Google is expected to accelerate AI integration into search
  • Direct AI answers can reduce visits to source websites
  • Q&A sites offer an early warning for search-dependent brands
  • Marketers may struggle to maintain traffic and lead volume

it's going to be organic search and search engine optimization

19:00

their traffic has been reduced by 50% because people go to AI

20:30
#seo#organic search#google#traffic

Q&A· 1

Q&A13:00

Will Apple Vision Pro Be 2024's Most Important Hardware?

The hosts consider whether Vision Pro will become the year's most discussed technology device despite uncertain mainstream demand and limited first-generation software. They see its main value as revealing the direction of spatial computing, with entertainment and remote connection as possible early use cases.

  • Vision Pro may earn recognition as a major technology innovation
  • First-generation hardware may function more as a roadmap than a mature product
  • Movies and immersive FaceTime are plausible early use cases
  • Software infrastructure and practical utility remain uncertain

the Apple Vision Pro will be the most interesting SL important Hardware

13:00

we don't know what the software infrastructure is really going to be

14:00
#apple vision pro#spatial computing#hardware#virtual reality

Takeaway· 3

Takeaway15:00

Why Early Adoption Becomes a Competitive Necessity

One host argues that accelerating commoditization reduces the time available to benefit from a new capability before competitors catch up. Early adopters gain extra days or weeks to learn, experiment, and establish an advantage, although they must accept more speculative work and risk.

  • New capabilities are commoditizing rapidly
  • Small timing advantages can compound
  • Early adopters must tolerate uncertainty and failed experiments
  • Faster adoption can push people and organizations out of established routines

2024 is the Year everybody realizes that being an early adopter is the way

15:00

you need every day every week you can get

15:00
#early adopters#competitive advantage#innovation
Takeaway19:30

AI's Near-Term Marketing Win Is Better Conversion

While AI search may make traffic acquisition harder, the hosts expect AI to improve results after lead capture through chat, email, outreach, ad technology, and individualized experiences. The practical opportunity is to extract more value from existing demand rather than assuming traffic volume will continue growing.

  • Post-capture workflows are positioned for positive AI impact
  • Ad technology may reduce cost per conversion
  • Traffic and lead volume may become harder to grow
  • Conversion-rate improvement can offset some acquisition pressure

2024 if you're a marketer is the year of conversion rate Improvement

19:30

your conversion rate and your cost per conversion should get better

19:30
#conversion rate#lead generation#adtech#marketing
Takeaway21:30

Stop Judging AI Only by What It Can Do Today

Reflecting on OpenAI's developer event, the hosts argue that current imperfections are a poor basis for dismissing AI. The more informative comparison is how capability has changed over the previous year and whether that rate of progress is accelerating.

  • Present-day limitations do not show the likely future capability
  • Year-over-year progress offers a better comparison
  • The hosts expect AI development to accelerate
  • New launches can expand perceptions of what is possible even when products fail

that's not the way to think about this

22:00

you should not think about how good it is today you should think about how good it is today in comparable to how where it…

22:00
#ai progress#technology forecasting#openai