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> It's basically standard SEO but it also manipulates AI like ChatGPT very very easily

There are key differences.

1) Google doesn't get paid for the SEO, so even is crime is involved, Google isn't directly responsible.

2) AI ads are unmarked, which is illegal pretty much everywhere. And because of the way LLMs work, it is impossible to tell where a given output came from, neither which part of the prompt/context nor whether it's from the prompt or training.



> 1) Google doesn't get paid for the SEO, so even is crime is involved, Google isn't directly responsible.

Google doesn't get paid directly for the SEO but they definitely benefit monetarily. Do a recipe search and ask yourself if these are the results the user would like to see. Google benefits by not penalizing sites which litter themselves with ads. It's not that indirect.


Why would AI ads be unmarked? Most of the Google AI search results I get show sources. They're just summarizing top results for you, injecting a ad shown as an ad into that isn't tremendously different than how Google worked before.


For the same reason that ads in reddit comments are unmarked. The law hasn't caught up yet. There are countless "guerilla marketing" campaigns across reddit that are not identified as ads. I expect AI will be no different and it'll take the law a decade+ to catch up.


Every ad in Reddit is clearly marked. I'm not being obtuse - obviously Reddit, the internet, magazines, TV, all do some form of subliminal advertising, astro turfing, paid placement, etc, but we're talking about two different things from Google's business perspective, and I still doubt they are as interested in the latter as they are being the search leader and putting well paying clients right up front in bold (and underlined) letters.


Small low contrast Promoted where posts have small low contrast time is not clear marking. Fake comment ads are a little more clear.

I wish I could be this naive about things and still be happy.


Instead of making non-substantive patronizing remarks, why don't you respond with actual arguments?


I'm just talking about the methods that business owners can use for getting good SEO or AI recommendations are basically the same thing, not sure what point you are trying to make?




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