In the 1980s, my dad read this prophetic quote in a book by two German professors: “In the future, one of the most valuable assets will be raw data.”
Today, data IS the new oil. And search engines are the refineries.
It’s official: Search engines now legitimately impact the outcome of legal cases.
Remember all the chatter about ChatGPT displacing jobs & upsetting entire industries? It’s finally coming true, and more conveniently than ever.
No, it’s not just from a silly chatbot. It’s all happening in a search engine. A free one. And you can embrace that change in literally a few clicks and keystrokes.
Harvey, Donna, Jessica, Louis and the whole Suits gang have more to worry about than their firm’s reputation being at risk.
That worry is Bing Chat.
An SEO colleague of mine – let’s call him “The Pro” – is a specialist in the rarely-discussed legal aspect of SEO. In particular, domain names, reputation management, and just plain people suing people.
The Pro is a frequent expert witness to cases involving search engine results – especially those concerning people’s reputations. One day, while writing a looong report, he found Google and Bing search results are key evidence.
The Pro was doing his ordinary Bing search, pulled up Bing Chat and asked it for results about the plaintiff.
Normally, you’d expect Bing’s GPT-4 powered chatbot to just give you a summary of search results. Surprise! Bing Chat pulled up legal cases related to the plaintiff’s case. He double-checked the AI handiwork and confirmed it’s all true.
The Pro compared Google and found their AI, the Search Generative Experience, did not pull from actual search results.
Bing went deep, where most people wouldn’t think to go.
This is a lifesaver for lawyers, advisors & assistants, who’d otherwise be flooded in paperwork. They also have no time to scroll through pages of search results. Considering the state of Google nowadays, you’d be hard pressed to find certain crucial information in Pages One, Two or even Three.
What are the odds?
The Pro went to work and included Bing’s fact-checked AI handiwork in his report.
Bing Chat’s responses are a summary of how you manage your reputation on web search. If you want to find out your reputation, or how people perceive you on search engines, just ask Bing Chat about your name or your business name.
Pay attention to the depth of its response. The deeper it goes, the more information search engines have about you – or not, if you’ve never done anything about it.
You know how some people say, “Our reputation precedes us”? Your brand’s reputation is the sum total of your websites, social media, and third-party information.
Third-party information itself can be:
Now, anyone eligible for Bing Chat, in a few clicks and keystrokes, can ask to psychologically analyze the character of a website or company.
For free.
No experience needed.
Depending on the information available, you may get a thoughtful analysis. One that would take psychologists and lawyers weeks to figure out.
Only downside? I’ve asked it to find Quora content, and it can't. From a user with 17 answers on Quora, all published. Bing Chat can, however, read Reddit. It conveniently reminded me that I’m an “anti-establishment healthy living connoisseur”. Oh, wait, I wrote that.
In the future:
Think on this epic development. Now that it’s upending a whole industry, how can you rig AI in your favor?
Alexander Vee, founder of Agency Intelligence (AI) and Triple Agent Digital Media is best known as a marketing consultant who helps Entrepreneurs & Professionals become positive agents of change—using his unique formula, “The ABC’s of Marketing.”
The award-winning speaker & bestselling author has shared his message on the same stage as Martha Stewart and Ice-T & Coco at Carnegie Hall; on the same stage as Suzanne Somers & Caitlyn Jenner at the Harvard Club of Boston (his public speaking debut at 19 years of age); at Nasdaq, Coca-Cola and Mercedes; and West Point, where his message to the leaders of America's future was: "If you're a 'best-kept secret', it's about as good as being bankrupt."
Alexander has been featured & quoted in ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, Telemundo, The CW, plus other news publications all over North America - something he also helps his friends & clients to achieve!
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