#ai marketing europe

[optimizacijasajta]

GOOGLE GARANCIJE DA LI ZNATE ZA "GOOGLE GUARANTEE"? Na uspešnom digitalnom tržištu, poverenje je poput izvora sveže vode u pustinji - retko i dragoceno. Korisnici, bombardování anonimnim imenima i prevarama na internetu, često oklevaju pre nego što se odluče da pruže svoje teško zarađene dinare. Ali zamislite sjajnu značku, simbol viteštva koja se nosi samo na oklopima najhrabrijih boraca za uslugu. Ova značka, Google Garancija, nije samo ornament, već emblem poslovne bitke izborene i dobijene. Da bi osvojili ovu poželjnu titulu, preduzeća moraju proći kroz vatru proveravanja. Gugl, svevideći bog digitalnog carstva, podvrgava ih rigoroznim ispitivanjima. Licenca, osiguranje, i prošli podvizi se temeljito pregledaju. Samo oni sa besprekornim zapisom i gorom željom da zadovolje svoje kupce se smatraju vrednima da nose ovo digitalno odlikovanje. Za kupce, Google Garancija je više od sjajne značke, to je svetlost nade koja probija kroz mrak nepoznavanja. Više ne moraju da se slepo pouzdaju u anonimne entitete na internetu. Ali Google Garancija je dvostrani mač. Kompanije koje nose ovu značku postaju šampioni, ali i branioci časti. Njima je poverena sveta dužnost zadovoljenja kupaca. Ako se kupac oseti prevarenim, brzo i pravično rešenje je apsolutni prioritet. U protivnom, rizikuju da izazovu bes "reembursement" politike Gugla, moćnog arbitra u ovom digitalnom koloseumu. Ovaj program nije za slabe duše. Zahteva značajnu mesečnu naknadu, neprekidnu budnost nad srećom kupaca, i hrabrost da se suoči licem u lice sa nezadovoljnim klijentima. Ali za preduzeća koja se usude da se upuste na arenu Google Garancije, nagrade su bogate. Značka postaje magnet, privlačeći kupce koji traže mir i izuzetnu uslugu. To je svedočanstvo njihove nepokolebljive posvećenosti izvrsnosti, sjajna zvezda koja ih izdvaja iz mora konkurencije. Dakle, sledeći put kada budete putovali digitalnim okeanom u potrazi za uslugom, obratite pažnju na zastavu Google Garancije. To je više od marketinškog trika, već simbol pobede i kvaliteta, i dokaz nepokolebljivog duha zadovoljenja kupaca. Budite mudri kapetan svog digitalnog broda i upravljajte ga prema toj sjajnoj zastavi.

AI STRATEGIST PREDRAG PETROVIC

DIGITAL ART MARKETING - STRATEGIES FOR 2025

SEARCH EVERYWHERE OPTIMIZATION EXPERT

PREDRAG PETROVIC, SEO STRATEG

[aeoexpert]

The Future of Branding is Here:

The world of branding is undergoing a dramatic transformation thanks to the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). This cutting-edge technology is revolutionizing how brands connect with their audiences, build relationships, and foster loyalty. Here's how AI is reshaping the branding landscape:

Hyper-Personalization: AI enables brands to personalize customer interactions like never before. By analyzing vast amounts of data, AI can understand individual preferences, predict behavior, and tailor experiences accordingly. This leads to deeper engagement, stronger loyalty, and increased customer satisfaction.

** Smarter Decision-Making:** AI empowers brands to make data-driven decisions about their branding strategies. Sophisticated algorithms can analyze market trends, consumer sentiment, and competitive landscapes to provide valuable insights for brand positioning, messaging, and creative development.

** Content Creation on Autopilot:** AI can automate various aspects of content creation, such as generating product descriptions, writing social media posts, and even creating visual assets. This frees up human teams to focus on higher-level tasks like strategy and creative direction.

Elevated Customer Service: AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants provide instant and personalized customer support, enhancing the overall experience. These tools can handle simple inquiries, resolve issues, and even offer product recommendations, improving efficiency and satisfaction.

Predicting the Future: AI can predict future trends and consumer behaviors, allowing brands to proactively adapt their strategies and stay ahead of the curve. This enables brands to anticipate market shifts, identify new opportunities, and mitigate potential risks.

Navigating the Challenges:

While AI offers incredible opportunities, brands must also navigate certain challenges:

Data Privacy: Responsible data collection and usage are crucial. Brands must be transparent about how they collect and use customer data, complying with regulations and respecting consumer trust.

Authenticity Matters: While AI can enhance efficiency and personalization, brands must maintain authenticity in their interactions. Over-reliance on AI-generated content can lead to a loss of human touch and brand personality.

Ethical Considerations: AI algorithms can reflect biases present in the data they are trained on. Brands must be vigilant in identifying and mitigating potential biases to avoid harmful stereotypes or discriminatory practices.

The Future of Branding is Here:

AI is not just a passing trend; it's a fundamental shift in how brands operate. By embracing AI thoughtfully and responsibly, brands can unlock new levels of connection, personalization, and customer satisfaction. The future of branding is here, and it's powered by AI.

[aistrategisteurope]

MULTY SENSORY MARKETING

You're right to be curious about successful multi-sensory marketing! It's a fascinating approach. Here are a few brands I think are doing a great job:

1. Starbucks:

Smell: That unmistakable coffee aroma when you walk in the door is no accident. It's deliberately engineered to trigger cravings and create a comforting atmosphere.

Sound: The curated playlists contribute to the overall ambiance, often featuring mellow and relaxing tunes.

Sight: The warm colors, comfortable seating, and inviting displays all contribute to the "third place" experience Starbucks cultivates.

Taste: Beyond the coffee itself, the seasonal drinks and food offerings provide a variety of taste experiences.

2. Apple:

Touch: The sleek, minimalist design of their products encourages hands-on interaction. Apple Stores are designed for customers to touch and experience devices.

Sight: The clean, modern aesthetic of their stores and packaging reinforces their brand image of innovation and sophistication.

Sound: The distinctive sound effects of their devices, like the iPhone's unlock sound, contribute to brand recognition.

3. Lush:

Smell: This is a core part of the Lush experience. The strong scents of their handmade cosmetics fill the air, creating a unique and memorable sensory experience.

Sight: The vibrant colors and playful displays of their products are visually appealing and encourage exploration.

Touch: Customers are encouraged to touch and feel the products, testers are readily available, and the store environment is designed for interaction.

4. Singapore Airlines:

Smell: Their signature "Stefan Floridian Waters" scent is used in hot towels, on flight attendants' uniforms, and even diffused in the cabin, creating a sense of luxury and consistency.

Sight: The cabin design, lighting, and attention to detail all contribute to a premium visual experience.

Sound: Carefully selected music and announcements enhance the overall ambiance.

Taste: The airline is renowned for its high-quality in-flight meals, catering to a variety of tastes and preferences.

5. LEGO:

Touch: The tactile experience of building with LEGO bricks is fundamental to the brand. LEGO stores often have play areas where customers can interact with the product.

Sight: The bright colors and creative displays in LEGO stores are visually stimulating, particularly for children.

Sound: The clicking sound of the bricks connecting is a distinctive auditory element of the LEGO experience.

These are just a few examples, and many other brands are effectively using multi-sensory marketing. By carefully considering how each sense can be engaged, brands can create more immersive and memorable experiences for their customers.

AUTHOR:

Predrag Petrovic, European enterprise SEO expert

AI Strategist Predrag Petrovic is enhancing decision-making and reshaping customers

[aimarketingexpertemea]

How to use AI tools

looking to leverage AI tools for your social media and marketing needs! Here's a breakdown of how AI can supercharge your workflow:

1. Defining Audience

AI-powered social listening tools: These tools crawl social media platforms, analyzing conversations and identifying demographics, interests, and behaviors relevant to your brand or industry. Some popular options include Brandwatch, Talkwalker, and SproutSocial.

AI-driven audience analysis platforms: These platforms analyze your existing customer data (website traffic, CRM, etc.) to create detailed audience segments based on demographics, psychographics, and purchase behavior. This helps you target your content more effectively. Check out tools like Segment and Bluecore.

2. Generating Captions

AI caption generators: Tools like Jasper, Copy.ai, and Anyword can generate creative and engaging captions tailored to your content and target audience. You provide some basic information (image, topic, desired tone) and the AI suggests several options.

3. Writing Social Media Posts

AI content creation tools: Similar to caption generators, these tools can help you write full-fledged social media posts, including text, hashtags, and even suggest relevant emojis. Many of the tools mentioned above (Jasper, Copy.ai) offer this functionality.

Content repurposing tools: AI can help you reformat existing content (blog posts, articles) into social media-friendly snippets, increasing your reach and efficiency.

4. Responding to Comments/Reviews

AI-powered chatbots and customer service tools: These can handle common inquiries, provide automated responses, and even escalate complex issues to human agents. Examples include Intercom, Zendesk, and ManyChat.

Sentiment analysis tools: AI can analyze the sentiment (positive, negative, neutral) of comments and reviews, helping you prioritize responses and identify potential PR crises.

5. Keyword Analysis and SEO

AI-powered keyword research tools: These tools can identify relevant keywords, assess their search volume and competition, and suggest long-tail keywords to target niche audiences. SEMrush, Ahrefs, and SurferSEO all have AI-driven features.

Content optimization tools: AI can analyze your content and provide suggestions for improving on-page SEO, such as keyword density, readability, and heading structure. Clearscope and MarketMuse are great options.

6. Google Ads and Social Media Ads

AI-powered ad platforms: Google Ads and major social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, etc.) use AI to optimize ad targeting, bidding strategies, and ad creatives. Leverage their built-in AI tools for better campaign performance.

Ad copy generation and testing: AI can generate multiple ad copy variations and even predict which ones are likely to perform best based on historical data.

7. Translating Content

AI translation tools: Google Translate, DeepL, and Microsoft Translator are constantly improving in accuracy and fluency. They can quickly translate your content into multiple languages, expanding your reach to a global audience.

Important Notes:

Human oversight is crucial: While AI tools are powerful, they're not perfect. Always review and edit AI-generated content to ensure accuracy, brand consistency, and human touch.

Experiment and iterate: The best way to learn how to use AI tools effectively is to experiment, track your results, and adjust your approach accordingly.

Ethical considerations: Be mindful of potential biases in AI-generated content and use these tools responsibly.

By incorporating AI tools into your workflow, you can save time, improve efficiency, and boost your social media and marketing performance.

تحسين محركات البحث بالذكاء الاصطناعي

[aimarketingdubai]

BLEEDING EDGE SEO DUBAI

Here's how to approach bleeding-edge SEO and some cutting-edge techniques:

1. Mindset:

Embrace experimentation: Be willing to try new things and track the results meticulously. Not everything will work, but the successes can give you a significant advantage.

Stay informed: Follow industry blogs, attend conferences, and engage with the SEO community to keep your finger on the pulse of emerging trends.

Be adaptable: The SEO landscape is constantly evolving. Be prepared to adjust your strategies as Google's algorithms change and new technologies emerge.

Data-driven: Rely on data and analytics to measure the effectiveness of your experiments. Don't just follow trends blindly.

2. Cutting-Edge Techniques:

AI-powered content optimization: Tools like Jasper.ai and Copy.ai are becoming increasingly sophisticated in generating high-quality, SEO-friendly content. Explore how these tools can enhance your content creation process.

Semantic SEO: Go beyond keywords and focus on understanding the intent and context behind search queries. Use structured data, schema markup, and knowledge graphs to help search engines understand the meaning of your content.

Voice search optimization: With the rise of voice assistants, optimize your content for natural language and conversational queries.

Programmatic SEO: Automate the creation of large volumes of content tailored to specific keywords and long-tail searches. This is particularly useful for e-commerce sites with extensive product catalogs.

Entity-based SEO: Focus on building your brand's online presence as a recognized entity. This involves creating content that establishes your expertise, authority, and trustworthiness (E-A-T) in your industry.

Advanced technical SEO: Dive deep into technical aspects like Core Web Vitals, page speed optimization, mobile-first indexing, and structured data implementation to ensure your website meets Google's latest standards.

3. Proceed with Caution:

Don't sacrifice the basics: While exploring bleeding edge techniques, don't neglect the fundamentals of SEO, like keyword research, on-page optimization, and quality content creation.

Avoid black hat tactics: Stay away from any techniques that violate Google's guidelines. These tactics may provide short-term gains but can lead to penalties and long-term damage to your website's ranking.

Test and measure: Always test new techniques on a small scale before implementing them across your entire website. Track the results carefully to assess their effectiveness.

By embracing a forward-thinking mindset and experimenting with cutting-edge techniques, you can position your website at the forefront of the SEO landscape and gain a competitive edge in the ever-evolving world of search.

[digitalartmarketing]

GOOGLE CREATOR SUMMIT

It seems like the Google Creator Summit left many creators feeling disheartened and frustrated. Spending $400-$600 to travel to Google HQ, only to be told "You are creating good content, but unfortunately, we can't help you," is undoubtedly a deflating experience. 💔

This situation highlights a few key issues:

Lack of Transparency and Support: Creators invest significant time and resources in creating content that aligns with Google's guidelines, yet often face algorithm updates that negatively impact their visibility and reach. The lack of clear explanations and support from Google leaves creators feeling lost and helpless.

The Power of the Algorithm: Google's algorithm holds immense power over creators' livelihoods. While the algorithm aims to prioritize quality content, its complexity and constant updates can feel arbitrary and unpredictable, leaving creators feeling like they're at the mercy of a black box.

The Need for Better Communication: Creators crave clear communication and actionable advice from Google. Instead of vague statements, creators need specific guidance on how to navigate algorithm changes and ensure their content thrives.

This situation underscores the need for a more collaborative and supportive relationship between Google and creators.

Here are some potential ways Google could improve:

Increased Transparency: Provide clearer explanations of algorithm updates and their potential impact on creators.

Actionable Advice: Offer specific, actionable advice on how creators can adapt their content to thrive in the evolving digital landscape.

Improved Communication Channels: Create more effective communication channels for creators to voice concerns and receive support.

Recognize and Reward Quality Content: Develop better ways to recognize and reward creators who consistently produce high-quality, engaging content.

Ultimately, a healthy creator ecosystem benefits both Google and the creators themselves. By fostering a more supportive and collaborative environment, Google can empower creators to thrive and continue producing the valuable content that makes the internet a rich and diverse space.

[predragpetrovic]

Think Like a Creative Director in the Age of AI

How to Think Like a Creative Director in the Age of AI

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has changed the creative landscape forever. For creative directors, this means adapting to new technologies and ways of working. In this article, we will discuss how to think like a creative director in the age of AI.

Embrace AI

The first step to thinking like a creative director in the age of AI is to embrace it. AI can be a powerful tool for creative directors. It can help you to generate ideas, create visuals, and automate tasks. However, it is important to remember that AI is not a replacement for human creativity. It is simply a tool that can be used to enhance your work.

Use AI to Your Advantage

Once you have embraced AI, you can start to use it to your advantage. Here are a few tips:

Use AI to generate ideas. AI can be used to generate a wide range of creative ideas. For example, you can use AI to generate new product concepts, advertising campaigns, or website designs.

Use AI to create visuals. AI can be used to create high-quality visuals, such as images, videos, and animations.

Use AI to automate tasks. AI can be used to automate repetitive tasks, such as editing photos or creating social media posts.

Stay Up-to-Date on the Latest AI Technologies

The field of AI is constantly evolving. It is important to stay up-to-date on the latest AI technologies so that you can use them to your advantage. There are a number of resources available to help you learn about AI, such as online courses, books, and articles.

Develop Your Creative Skills

Even though AI can be a powerful tool, it is still important to develop your creative skills. AI cannot replace the human touch that is essential for great creative work. So, continue to hone your skills in areas such as storytelling, visual design, and copywriting.

Collaborate with AI Experts

If you are not an AI expert yourself, it is important to collaborate with AI experts. AI experts can help you to understand and use AI technologies effectively.

Embrace Change

The age of AI is a time of change. It is important to embrace change and be willing to adapt to new ways of working. By doing so, you can ensure that you remain a successful creative director in the years to come.

Conclusion

Thinking like a creative director in the age of AI requires embracing AI, using it to your advantage, staying up-to-date on the latest AI technologies, developing your creative skills, collaborating with AI experts, and embracing change. By following these tips, you can ensure that you are well-prepared for the future of creative leadership.

[janishoppin1950blog]

[xtruss]

Global Times: When The West Talks About China's Change, What Do They Fear?

— August 24, 2023

Out of touch with reality. Illustration: Liu Rui/Global Times

The world we live today is the world in which the West has been expanding for 500 years, but the Global South, represented by China, is on the rise.

However, the West's expansion and Global South's emergence are not going to integrate in a silky-smooth transition, especially for the West - it is entering this change with a deep affection and attachment to its 500 years of expansion.

On Tuesday, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock expressed her feelings in a virtual speech to the Lowy Institute, an Australia think tank: "Increasingly, China is a rival - when it comes to the very fundamentals of how we live together in this world.

"China has changed, and that's why our policy toward China also needs to change," she added.

If we look at the changes in US and Western policy toward China based on the so-called change of China, described by Baerbock, what we see is a China that is seemingly like the West of 500 years ago - full of drive for global exploration, expansion, and colonization, and unafraid to use military power as a precursor to unifying the wealth and faith of the world under the banner of Western civilization

However, China's "change" in Baerbock's description is filled with the Western imagination.

Over the past four decades of its reform and opening-up, China has followed a path of peaceful development. At the core of China's change is the modernization of a home to one-fifth of the world's population, fundamentally altering global development and our way of living together.

China's change is not a result of failing to respond to the abrupt changes in the tide of globalization. On the contrary, Chinese enterprises that have been or are on the verge of leading the world are all advancing in the market economy.

The West looks at China's change with fear, because they are not willing to fully give China the world status it deserves, including China's position in the global manufacturing and the global market.

One example is the West's treatment of electric vehicles produced in China.

In a recent interview with the Telegraph, a senior British government official said, "If it is manufactured in a country like China, how certain can you be that it won't be a vehicle for collecting intel and data?"

Jim Saker, president of the Institute of the Motor Industry, put it more sinisterly and told The Times that "the threat of connected electric vehicles flooding the country could be the most effective Trojan horse that the Chinese establishment has."

The backdrop to this concern is that China has become the world's largest producer of electric cars, with surging exports knocking on the doors of the US and Europe.

All products related to the internet and AI technology undoubtedly face information security concerns. But highlighting the ideological attributes of this issue, rather than addressing it realistically through legal provisions that are consistent with a market economy, is clearly contrary to the order emphasized by the West, and underscores the fact that this so-called order, which is used to bash China, is in fact self-serving, narrow-minded and conservative.

In the final analysis, it is evident the West can't accept the challenge posed by China's change, and still recognizes in its bones that China can only be inferior to the West as a follower, rather than a leader.

China is changing, the Global South is changing, and such changes are bound to touch Western interests. If the West pushes China to the hostile side because of their inability to accept such changes, in the end, China will not be the only one facing difficulties and challenges.

Whether the West is willing to share the order they have built over the past 500 years is directly related to the advancement or retreat of human development.

[afeelgoodblog]

The Best News of Last Month - August 2024

1.Negative Power Prices Hit Europe as Renewable Energy Floods the Grid

European power markets are experiencing a notable shift as renewable energy sources, particularly wind and solar, become a larger part of the energy mix. On Wednesday, power prices in several European markets, including Germany, dipped below zero due to a surge in green electricity production.

2. Taiwan introduces ban on performances by captive wild animals

Live performances by wild animals held in captivity, including performances by dolphins, tigers, and other non-domesticated mammals, will no longer be permitted in Taiwan under new Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) regulations.

3. FTC bans fake online reviews, inflated social media influence; rule takes effect in October

The FTC voted unanimously to ban marketers from using fake reviews, such as those generated with AI technology, and other misleading advertising practices.

The ban also forbids marketers from exaggerating their own influence by, for example, paying for bots to inflate their follower count.

4. Chinese drones will fly trash out of Everest slopes

Come autumn, Nepal will deploy heavy lifter drones to transport garbage from the 6,812-metre tall Ama Dablam, south of Everest. This will be the first commercial work an unmanned aerial vehicle does in Nepal’s high-altitude zone.

The heavy lifter from China’s biggest drone maker, Da Jiang Innovations (DJI), will take on tasks traditionally handled by Sherpas. Officials believe it will help reduce casualties on Everest.

5. Swiss scientists have found a way to use the whole cocoa fruit to make chocolate and not just taking beans and discarding the rest.

Kim Mishra (L) and Anian Schreiber (R) cooperated on the new chocolate making process

Food scientists in Switzerland have come up with a way to make chocolate using the entire cocoa fruit rather than just the beans - and without using sugar.

The chocolate, developed at Zurich’s prestigious Federal Institute of Technology by scientist Kim Mishra and his team includes the cocoa fruit pulp, the juice, and the husk, or endocarp.

6. Six-year-old boy found in Vietnam forest after five days

A six-year-old boy who was missing for five days has been found deep in a forest in Vietnam. Dang Tien Lam, who lives in the northwestern Yen Bai province, was playing in a stream with his nine siblings on 17 August when he wandered into the hills and got lost, local reports said.

He was found on Wednesday by local farmers who heard a child's cry while they were clearing a cinnamon field close to the forest.

7. Lego plans to make half the plastic in bricks from renewable materials by 2026

Lego plans to make half the plastic in its bricks from renewable or recycled material rather than fossil fuels by 2026, in its latest effort to ensure its toys are more environmentally friendly.

The Danish company last year ditched efforts to make bricks entirely from recycled bottles because of cost and production issues. At the moment, 22% of the material in its colourful bricks is not made from fossil fuels.

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[mostlysignssomeportents]

Apple to EU: “Go fuck yourself”

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/06/spoil-the-bunch/#dma

There's a strain of anti-anti-monopolist that insists that they're not pro-monopoly – they're just realists who understand that global gigacorporations are too big to fail, too big to jail, and that governments can't hope to rein them in. Trying to regulate a tech giant, they say, is like trying to regulate the weather.

This ploy is cousins with Jay Rosen's idea of "savvying," defined as: "dismissing valid questions with the insider's, 'and this surprises you?'"

https://twitter.com/jayrosen_nyu/status/344825874362810369?lang=en

In both cases, an apologist for corruption masquerades as a pragmatist who understands the ways of the world, unlike you, a pathetic dreamer who foolishly hopes for a better world. In both cases, the apologist provides cover for corruption, painting it as an inevitability, not a choice. "Don't hate the player. Hate the game."

The reason this foolish nonsense flies is that we are living in an age of rampant corruption and utter impunity. Companies really do get away with both literal and figurative murder. Governments really do ignore horrible crimes by the rich and powerful, and fumble what rare, few enforcement efforts they assay.

Take the GDPR, Europe's landmark privacy law. The GDPR establishes strict limitations of data-collection and processing, and provides for brutal penalties for companies that violate its rules. The immediate impact of the GDPR was a mass-extinction event for Europe's data-brokerages and surveillance advertising companies, all of which were in obvious violation of the GDPR's rules.

But there was a curious pattern to GDPR enforcement: while smaller, EU-based companies were swiftly shuttered by its provisions, the US-based giants that conduct the most brazen, wide-ranging, illegal surveillance escaped unscathed for years and years, continuing to spy on Europeans.

One (erroneous) way to look at this is as a "compliance moat" story. In that story, GDPR requires a bunch of expensive systems that only gigantic companies like Facebook and Google can afford. These compliance costs are a "capital moat" – a way to exclude smaller companies from functioning in the market. Thus, the GDPR acted as an anticompetitive wrecking ball, clearing the field for the largest companies, who get to operate without having to contend with smaller companies nipping at their heels:

https://www.techdirt.com/2019/06/27/another-report-shows-gdpr-benefited-google-facebook-hurt-everyone-else/

This is wrong.

Oh, compliance moats are definitely real – think of the calls for AI companies to license their training data. AI companies can easily do this – they'll just buy training data from giant media companies – the very same companies that hope to use models to replace creative workers with algorithms. Create a new copyright over training data won't eliminate AI – it'll just confine AI to the largest, best capitalized companies, who will gladly provide tools to corporations hoping to fire their workforces:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/09/ai-monkeys-paw/#bullied-schoolkids

But just because some regulations can be compliance moats, that doesn't mean that all regulations are compliance moats. And just because some regulations are vigorously applied to small companies while leaving larger firms unscathed, it doesn't follow that the regulation in question is a compliance moat.

A harder look at what happened with the GDPR reveals a completely different dynamic at work. The reason the GDPR vaporized small surveillance companies and left the big companies untouched had nothing to do with compliance costs. The Big Tech companies don't comply with the GDPR – they just get away with violating the GDPR.

How do they get away with it? They fly Irish flags of convenience. Decades ago, Ireland started dabbling with offering tax-havens to the wealthy and mobile – they invented the duty-free store:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duty-free_shop#1947%E2%80%931990:_duty_free_establishment

Capturing pennies from the wealthy by helping them avoid fortunes they owed in taxes elsewhere was terribly seductive. In the years that followed, Ireland began aggressively courting the wealthy on an industrial scale, offering corporations the chance to duck their obligations to their host countries by flying an Irish flag of convenience.

There are other countries who've tried this gambit – the "treasure islands" of the Caribbean, the English channel, and elsewhere – but Ireland is part of the EU. In the global competition to help the rich to get richer, Ireland had a killer advantage: access to the EU, the common market, and 500m affluent potential customers. The Caymans can hide your money for you, and there's a few super-luxe stores and art-galleries in George Town where you can spend it, but it's no Champs Elysees or Ku-Damm.

But when you're competing with other countries for the pennies of trillion-dollar tax-dodgers, any wins can be turned into a loss in an instant. After all, any corporation that is footloose enough to establish a Potemkin Headquarters in Dublin and fly the trídhathach can easily up sticks and open another Big Store HQ in some other haven that offers it a sweeter deal.

This has created a global race to the bottom among tax-havens to also serve as regulatory havens – and there's a made-in-the-EU version that sees Ireland, Malta, Cyprus and sometimes the Netherlands competing to see who can offer the most impunity for the worst crimes to the most awful corporations in the world.

And that's why Google and Facebook haven't been extinguished by the GDPR while their rivals were. It's not compliance moats – it's impunity. Once a corporation attains a certain scale, it has the excess capital to spend on phony relocations that let it hop from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, chasing the loosest slots on the strip. Ireland is a made town, where the cops are all on the take, and two thirds of the data commissioner's rulings are eventually overturned by the federal court:

https://www.iccl.ie/digital-data/iccl-2023-gdpr-report/

This is a problem among many federations, not just the EU. The US has its onshore-offshore tax- and regulation-havens (Delaware, South Dakota, Texas, etc), and so does Canada (Alberta), and some Swiss cantons are, frankly, batshit:

https://lenews.ch/2017/11/25/swiss-fact-some-swiss-women-had-to-wait-until-1991-to-vote/

None of this is to condemn federations outright. Federations are (potentially) good! But federalism has a vulnerability: the autonomy of the federated states means that they can be played against each other by national or transnational entities, like corporations. This doesn't mean that it's impossible to regulate powerful entities within a federation – but it means that federal regulation needs to account for the risk of jurisdiction-shopping.

Enter the Digital Markets Act, a new Big Tech specific law that, among other things, bans monopoly app stores and payment processing, through which companies like Apple and Google have levied a 30% tax on the entire app market, while arrogating to themselves the right to decide which software their customers may run on their own devices:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/06/07/curatorial-vig/#app-tax

Apple has responded to this regulation with a gesture of contempt so naked and broad that it beggars belief. As Proton describes, Apple's DMA plan is the very definition of malicious compliance:

https://proton.me/blog/apple-dma-compliance-plan-trap

Recall that the DMA is intended to curtail monopoly software distribution through app stores and mobile platforms' insistence on using their payment processors, whose fees are sky-high. The law is intended to extinguish developer agreements that ban software creators from informing customers that they can get a better deal by initiating payments elsewhere, or by getting a service through the web instead of via an app.

In response, Apple, has instituted a junk fee it calls the "Core Technology Fee": EUR0.50/install for every installation over 1m. As Proton writes, as apps grow more popular, using third-party payment systems will grow less attractive. Apple has offered discounts on its eye-watering payment processing fees to a mere 20% for the first payment and 13% for renewals. Compare this with the normal – and far, far too high – payment processing fees the rest of the industry charges, which run 2-5%. On top of all this, Apple has lied about these new discounted rates, hiding a 3% "processing" fee in its headline figures.

As Proton explains, paying 17% fees and EUR0.50 for each subscriber's renewal makes most software businesses into money-losers. The only way to keep them afloat is to use Apple's old, default payment system. That choice is made more attractive by Apple's inclusion of a "scare screen" that warns you that demons will rend your soul for all eternity if you try to use an alternative payment scheme.

Apple defends this scare screen by saying that it will protect users from the intrinsic unreliability of third-party processors, but as Proton points out, there are plenty of giant corporations who get to use their own payment processors with their iOS apps, because Apple decided they were too big to fuck with. Somehow, Apple can let its customers spend money Uber, McDonald's, Airbnb, Doordash and Amazon without terrorizing them about existential security risks – but not mom-and-pop software vendors or publishers who don't want to hand 30% of their income over to a three-trillion-dollar company.

Apple has also reserved the right to cancel any alternative app store and nuke it from Apple customers' devices without warning, reason or liability. Those app stores also have to post a one-million euro line of credit in order to be considered for iOS. Given these terms, it's obvious that no one is going to offer a third-party app store for iOS and if they did, no one would list their apps in it.

The fuckery goes on and on. If an app developer opts into third-party payments, they can't use Apple's payment processing too – so any users who are scared off by the scare screen have no way to pay the app's creators. And once an app creator opts into third party payments, they can never go back – the decision is permanent.

Apple also reserves the right to change all of these policies later, for the worse ("I am altering the deal. Pray I don't alter it further" -D. Vader). They have warned developers that they might change the API for reporting external sales and revoke developers' right to use alternative app stores at its discretion, with no penalties if that screws the developer.

Apple's contempt extends beyond app marketplaces. The DMA also obliges Apple to open its platform to third party browsers and browser engines. Every browser on iOS is actually just Safari wrapped in a cosmetic skin, because Apple bans third-party browser-engines:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/12/13/kitbashed/#app-store-tax

But, as Mozilla puts it, Apple's plan for this is "as painful as possible":

https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/26/24052067/mozilla-apple-ios-browser-rules-firefox

For one thing, Apple will only allow European customers to run alternative browser engines. That means that Firefox will have to "build and maintain two separate browser implementations — a burden Apple themselves will not have to bear."

(One wonders how Apple will treat Americans living in the EU, whose Apple accounts still have US billing addresses – these people will still be entitled to the browser choice that Apple is grudgingly extending to Europeans.)

All of this sends a strong signal that Apple is planning to run the same playbook with the DMA that Google and Facebook used on the GDPR: ignore the law, use lawyerly bullshit to chaff regulators, and hope that European federalism has sufficiently deep cracks that it can hide in them when the enforcers come to call.

But Apple is about to get a nasty shock. For one thing, the DMA allows wronged parties to start their search for justice in the European federal court system – bypassing the Irish regulators and courts. For another, there is a global movement to check corporate power, and because the tech companies do the same kinds of fuckery in every territory, regulators are able to collaborate across borders to take them down.

Take Apple's app store monopoly. The best reference on this is the report published by the UK Competition and Markets Authority's Digital Markets Unit:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/63f61bc0d3bf7f62e8c34a02/Mobile_Ecosystems_Final_Report_amended_2.pdf

The devastating case that the DMU report was key to crafting the DMA – but it also inspired a US law aimed at forcing app markets open:

https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/2710

And a Japanese enforcement action:

https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Technology/Japan-to-crack-down-on-Apple-and-Google-app-store-monopolies

And action in South Korea:

https://www.reuters.com/technology/skorea-considers-505-mln-fine-against-google-apple-over-app-market-practices-2023-10-06/

These enforcers gather for annual meetings – I spoke at one in London, convened by the Competition and Markets Authority – where they compare notes, form coalitions, and plan strategy:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cma-data-technology-and-analytics-conference-2022-registration-308678625077

This is where the savvying breaks down. Yes, Apple is big enough to run circles around Japan, or South Korea, or the UK. But when those countries join forces with the EU, the USA and other countries that are fed up to the eyeballs with Apple's bullshit, the company is in serious danger.

It's true that Apple has convinced a bunch of its customers that buying a phone from a multi-trillion-dollar corporation makes you a member of an oppressed religious minority:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/12/youre-holding-it-wrong/#if-dishwashers-were-iphones

Some of those self-avowed members of the "Cult of Mac" are willing to take the company's pronouncements at face value and will dutifully repeat Apple's claims to be "protecting" its customers. But even that credulity has its breaking point – Apple can only poison the well so many times before people stop drinking from it. Remember when the company announced a miraculous reversal to its war on right to repair, later revealed to be a bald-faced lie?

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/22/vin-locking/#thought-differently

Or when Apple claimed to be protecting phone users' privacy, which was also a lie?

https://pluralistic.net/2022/11/14/luxury-surveillance/#liar-liar

The savvy will see Apple lying (again) and say, "this surprises you?" No, it doesn't surprise me, but it pisses me off – and I'm not the only one, and Apple's insulting lies are getting less effective by the day.

Image: Alex Popovkin, Bahia, Brazil from Brazil (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Annelid_worm,_Atlantic_forest,_northern_littoral_of_Bahia,_Brazil_%2816107326533%29.jpg

CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en

--

Hubertl (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2015-03-04_Elstar_%28apple%29_starting_putrefying_IMG_9761_bis_9772.jpg

CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en

[probablyasocialecologist]

There is no obvious path between today’s machine learning models — which mimic human creativity by predicting the next word, sound, or pixel — and an AI that can form a hostile intent or circumvent our every effort to contain it. Regardless, it is fair to ask why Dr. Frankenstein is holding the pitchfork. Why is it that the people building, deploying, and profiting from AI are the ones leading the call to focus public attention on its existential risk? Well, I can see at least two possible reasons. The first is that it requires far less sacrifice on their part to call attention to a hypothetical threat than to address the more immediate harms and costs that AI is already imposing on society. Today’s AI is plagued by error and replete with bias. It makes up facts and reproduces discriminatory heuristics. It empowers both government and consumer surveillance. AI is displacing labor and exacerbating income and wealth inequality. It poses an enormous and escalating threat to the environment, consuming an enormous and growing amount of energy and fueling a race to extract materials from a beleaguered Earth. These societal costs aren’t easily absorbed. Mitigating them requires a significant commitment of personnel and other resources, which doesn’t make shareholders happy — and which is why the market recently rewarded tech companies for laying off many members of their privacy, security, or ethics teams. How much easier would life be for AI companies if the public instead fixated on speculative theories about far-off threats that may or may not actually bear out? What would action to “mitigate the risk of extinction” even look like? I submit that it would consist of vague whitepapers, series of workshops led by speculative philosophers, and donations to computer science labs that are willing to speak the language of longtermism. This would be a pittance, compared with the effort required to reverse what AI is already doing to displace labor, exacerbate inequality, and accelerate environmental degradation. A second reason the AI community might be motivated to cast the technology as posing an existential risk could be, ironically, to reinforce the idea that AI has enormous potential. Convincing the public that AI is so powerful that it could end human existence would be a pretty effective way for AI scientists to make the case that what they are working on is important. Doomsaying is great marketing. The long-term fear may be that AI will threaten humanity, but the near-term fear, for anyone who doesn’t incorporate AI into their business, agency, or classroom, is that they will be left behind. The same goes for national policy: If AI poses existential risks, U.S. policymakers might say, we better not let China beat us to it for lack of investment or overregulation. (It is telling that Sam Altman — the CEO of OpenAI and a signatory of the Center for AI Safety statement — warned the E.U. that his company will pull out of Europe if regulations become too burdensome.)

[thecolorblockcurator]

I’ve been thinking about a few things lately

And it seems like we’re at the precipice of another dark age. Dark ages are typically when education, reading, writing, scientific progress are lost

And by precipice I mean, it could go either way. Historically the rise of fascism has lead to incredible powerful art movements - as well as aggressive censorship

Now I don’t think it’s so dramatic that everything will be lost, collapse of a civilization -only ruins will be left kind of thing. We’re in a completely different age with more visibility and information than ever before

But I do think this time it’s a shift from reading and art to content that has been happening over the years & with generative AI it’s only pushing it further.

What got me thinking about it was- I just read about a new publishing company that is only selling AI generated books & plans to publish and flood the market with 8000 new ai generated books next year.

There is power in art. Art is transformative, political, it teaches us to be curious, to think creatively, to see things from different perspectives. Making art of any kind helps us from everything to processing trauma, to expressing our voice, to creating communities.

Content passes the time, it grabs our attention. It fills the room with noise. And it keeps people distracted. It keeps people in a passive yet heightened state.

And the second thing I’ve been thinking about is feudalism. The economic / political system that was around in the last dark age in Europe.

Now what I studied in my history program was more of the rise of industrialization & colonialism so I’m not as strong with my background in feudalism and I want to fully understand it before I completely form this idea

But, I’ve seen others write about this too and I think they’re onto something- it seems like we’ve breached late stage capitalism to some new type of feudalism. And I think that has some validity

Whether it’s related to the tech industry or corporate real estate. Or some combination of the two. I can see how this could be a type of feudalism. The effects are the same in terms the distribution of power, wealth, labor, ownership, as well as the cultural factors of approved art what art is allowed to be made and visible or in our case, consumed.

In regards to art- I can see how content, noise, trends are more valuable to a new type of feudalism than art. And how they both lend themselves to create a new type of dark age

So what does that mean? What should we do?

Create art. Write stories, poetry, zines, paintings, collages. Wrestle with ideas. Learn about new things that are confusing and difficult to understand at first. Carve out time for silence, so you can actually think without 3 different types of media all playing at once.

I think we have to actively fight this. And trust me I get sucked into instagram and tumblr more than I want to be.

And for me I know what I’m fighting is- it’s gotten to this point where it feels like by not being engaged in content I’m not being productive. That sitting in silence to let myself wrestle with ideas for a bit is somehow wasting time. - Which of course it’s not.

[trans-elrond]

Petition: establish AI regulations

EU people (but possible to sign from elsewhere in the world) please add your name to this petition for human-centric and culture-friendly AI regulation. Needs 47,000 more votes as of the time of posting. From the petition:

'Summary: In an open letter, the Authors' Rights Network (Netzwerk Autorenrechte) calls on the German government as well as the French and Italian leaders to reconsider their stance on the (non-)regulation of AI, to take a stand against the massive damaging effects of unregulated AI applications based on theft, to protect people and authors from data theft and disinformation and to reflect on values such as trust, democracy and justice.

++ Open letter on the subject of France, Germany's and Italy's position on the planned EU Artificial Intelligence Act ++

Dear Chancellor Olaf Scholz (Germany),

Dear Federal Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck,

Dear Federal Minister for Digital and Transport Volker Wissing,

Dear President Emmanuel Macron (France), 

Dear Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (Italy):

It is with great concern that we, the members of the Netzwerk Autorenrechte which represents authors and translators in the book sector from 15 organisations in the D-A-CH region, observe Germany's, Frances and Italy's new position on the AI Act proposal. This new position runs counter to the consensus previously reached by EU Member States on the legal regulation of AI, in particular with regard to transparency and liability obligations for developers of generative technology.

According to reports from Euractiv on 19 November 2023, Germany – under the lead of the Digital Ministry and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, and together with France and Italy – wants to push for "obligatory self-regulation" instead of legally binding regulation. There are no sanctions for saftey incidents such as copyright, authors’ rights and data protection violations, insufficient labeling, or circumventing ethical standards in the position of these three countries.

Reason

Dear Chancellor, dear Vice Chancellor, dear Federal Minister,

dear Mr President of France, dear Prime Minister of Italy:

We urge you to change your position, which currently favors supposed economic advantages to the detriment of sustainable legal rules. Your position sends a fatal signal to everyone in the cultural sectors and to all people in Europe: namely, that you're willing to protect the same tech companies that illegitimately make use of cultural works and citizens data for their own profits – rather than protecting the people whose work and private data have made these foundation models and generative applications possible in the first place.

The consequences of your position would be devastating. Generative technology is already threatening numerous jobs. We can already observe several harmful “business models” based on AI products and an increase in disinformation. It's been proven that generative AI uses unlawfully obtained works without the knowledge or consent of the works' authors. Without legal regulation, generative technologies will accelerate the theft of artistic work and data. They'll increase discrimination and the falsification of information, including damage to reputations. And they'll significantly contribute to climate change. The more legally deregulated generative products reach the market, the more irreparable the loss of trust in texts, images, and information will become for society as a whole.

We urge you to return to the values of trust, democracy, and justice. We're standing on the threshold of an evolution, of one of the most decisive moments in history. Will we regulate the machines that are using humans in order to replace them? Or will we choose the short-sighted ideology of money?

We trust you have the political resolve to do the right thing.

Berlin, 24 November 2023'

[australet789]

Disney is part of the boycott for Palestinians. They're almost famously pro Israel, and one of their (upcoming? Already out? Idk) movies includes Captain Israel.

Anon, you might be new here, i have shared several times that im boycotting Disney, not only for the palestinians but also for how bad the mouse treat their workers.

"Mufasa" ia still going to earn millions, the USA and the Europe market are going to be the ones giving them money. That's a fact. I will pirate the movie (even if im from Peru and my country doesn't count in these matters, i will still do my part), but others wont. So at least, i want the other group of people hurting the world (the pro-ai people) to piss their pants about that movie and the HTTYD one.

[predragpetrovic]

The art world, long a bastion of human expression and emotion, is undergoing a fascinating metamorphosis in the age of artificial intelligence (AI). While purists may scoff, AI presents a treasure trove of opportunities for artists and art marketers alike, transforming the way we create, connect, and ultimately, sell art. This isn't a dystopian takeover by silicon sentience; it's a chance to wield AI as a brush, adding vibrant new strokes to your artistic and marketing palette.

Step into the Personalized Portal:

Imagine a collector, not just browsing your website, but virtually stepping into your studio, guided by an AI docent that tailors the experience to their unique preferences. AI can analyze data on past purchases, online behavior, and even facial expressions to curate personalized exhibitions, recommend similar works, and even predict buying intent. This isn't just marketing; it's forging a deep, one-on-one connection with potential patrons.

Beyond Demographics, Dive into the Depths of Desire:

Forget the tired tropes of age and income brackets. AI delves deeper, analyzing vast datasets to understand the emotional resonance of your art. Does your abstract expressionism evoke feelings of joy or existential dread? AI can decipher these nuances, allowing you to craft marketing messages that speak directly to the hearts and minds of your target audience. Imagine promoting a melancholic seascape not to "ocean lovers," but to those seeking solace in the vastness of the unknown.

Pricing Picasso with Precision:

Gone are the days of guesswork and gut instinct. AI algorithms can analyze market trends, auction history, and even the buying habits of similar collectors to suggest optimal pricing strategies for your art. This data-driven approach ensures you're not leaving money on the table, while also preventing the dreaded art-world faux pas of overvaluing (or undervaluing) your masterpiece.

From Palette to Pixels: AI, Your Artistic Accomplice:

AI isn't just for marketing; it's becoming an artistic collaborator in its own right. Platforms like Artbreeder, NightCafe Creator, and Deep Dream Generator allow you to co-create with AI, generating variations on your existing pieces, conjuring new works inspired by your style, or even offering unexpected creative prompts. Think of it as a brainstorming session on steroids, fueled by algorithms and boundless imagination.

But Wait, There's More: The AR/VR Art Extravaganza:

Forget flat screens and sterile white walls. AI is ushering in a new era of immersive art experiences. Imagine virtual reality (VR) galleries where collectors can wander through your artistic universe, or augmented reality (AR) installations that bring your paintings to life on the streets. These interactive experiences not only captivate your audience but also create a lasting impression, etching your art in their memory (and Instagram feed).

Remember, the Human Touch is the Masterstroke:

AI is a powerful tool, but it's not a replacement for the soul of an artist. The beauty, the emotion, the raw human experience that draws us to art in the first place, that can never be replicated by algorithms. Use AI to amplify your voice, not drown it out. Let it handle the tedious tasks, the data crunching, the market analysis, while you focus on what truly matters: creating art that moves, inspires, and transcends the digital canvas.

And Finally, a Word on Ethics:

With great power comes great responsibility. As we dance with AI in the art world, we must tread carefully. Ensure your AI tools are used responsibly, avoiding bias and respecting artist ownership and intellectual property. Transparency is key. Be upfront about how you're using AI, allowing collectors to appreciate the value it adds to your work without compromising the integrity of your artistic vision.

The future of art marketing in the age of AI is a kaleidoscope of possibilities. By embracing its potential, wielding it ethically, and using it to enhance your artistic voice, you can transform your marketing strategy from humdrum to avant-garde. So, step into the digital studio, pick up your AI brush, and paint a masterpiece of engagement, reach, and ultimately, artistic success. Remember, the art world is your canvas, and now, with AI as your co-pilot, the possibilities are truly infinite.

Merging Muse and Machine: A Canvas Crafted with AI in the Age of Art Marketing

The art world, long a bastion of human expression, is experiencing a paradigm shift. Artificial intelligence (AI), once relegated to science fiction, is now poised to revolutionize the way art is created, experienced, and, crucially, marketed. For artists and galleries navigating this uncharted territory, the question arises: how can we harness the power of AI to paint a masterpiece of a marketing strategy, one that amplifies artistic voices and connects with collectors in innovative ways?

Step into the AI-Powered Gallery:

Gone are the days of static websites and generic brochures. AI unlocks a treasure trove of tools to craft immersive, interactive experiences that bring art to life online. Imagine virtual galleries where collectors don VR headsets and wander through meticulously rendered exhibitions, each brushstroke and texture faithfully captured.

AI can personalize these experiences, tailoring the virtual tour to individual preferences. A collector drawn to bold abstracts might find themselves transported to a gallery pulsating with color and movement, while another seeking serenity might be enveloped in a tranquil moonlit landscape. This level of customization fosters deeper engagement and emotional connection with the art, laying the groundwork for potential sales.

Beyond the Brush: AI as Creative Collaborator

But AI's impact extends beyond simply showcasing existing art. It can be a muse, a co-creator, pushing the boundaries of artistic expression. Algorithms can analyze your artistic style, generate variations on your existing pieces, or even dream up entirely new works inspired by your unique vision.

Imagine a world where a sculptor partners with AI to craft intricate kinetic sculptures that respond to the viewer's movements, or where a painter collaborates with an algorithm to create canvases that morph and evolve over time. These AI-infused creations not only push the boundaries of traditional art forms but also pique the curiosity of collectors seeking the cutting edge.

Building Bridges with Big Data:

Of course, the art world doesn't exist in a vacuum. Collectors, too, are evolving. AI empowers artists and galleries to understand their target audience like never before. By analyzing vast datasets of online behavior and preferences, AI can identify potential collectors with a taste for your unique style. This allows for hyper-targeted marketing campaigns, ensuring your message reaches the right eyes and ears, maximizing your marketing ROI.

However, amidst the excitement, remember that AI is not a silver bullet. Its true power lies in its ability to augment, not replace, the human touch. The emotional core of art, the spark that ignites a collector's passion, still comes from the artist's unique vision and creative spirit. AI should be seen as a tool to amplify this voice, not drown it out.

A Symphony of Creativity:

The future of art marketing is not a binary choice between humans and machines. It's a harmonious symphony where both play their part. Artists, armed with the power of AI, can create groundbreaking works and connect with collectors in ever-more meaningful ways. Galleries can craft immersive experiences that transcend the physical limitations of walls and spaces. And collectors can discover art that speaks to their souls, fueled by the combined magic of human ingenuity and artificial intelligence.

So, embrace the brushstrokes of the future. Let AI be your collaborator, your curator, your bridge to a wider audience. Together, you can paint a masterpiece of a marketing strategy, one that not only sells art but also redefines the very experience of art in the digital age.

The canvas is vast, the colors vibrant, and the possibilities endless. It's time to unleash your creativity and paint your vision onto the world, guided by the steady hand of AI. The future of art marketing awaits, a masterpiece waiting to be crafted.