Digital Marketers Under Pressure: 57% Feel Urgency to Learn AI Skills as Adoption Surges to 74%

According to a new survey by The Next Wave and HubSpot, almost half of the marketers (48% to be exact) think that AI is going to replace their jobs soon. For the survey, both organizations surveyed 1062 respondents from marketing and advertising fields in the US. 46% of the respondents also said that they think that AI is going to replace all the jobs in the US.

57% of the marketers who were surveyed also said that they feel pressured to learn Artificial Intelligence because they think that they are going to become irrelevant if they have no knowledge of AI. In 2022, 21% of the marketers said that they are using AI tools for marketing. In 2024, this percentage has increased to 74%. This means that more and more marketers are learning AI for their jobs.

The survey also asked marketers how they use AI. 75% said that they use AI to reduce their manual tasks and 73% use them for focusing on important tasks, tasks they love and for becoming more productive. 70% also reported using AI to become more creative while 64% also use it to understand their customers better. Overall, the survey was done to learn marketers’ opinions on AI in the US.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Search Engines Top Consumer Preferences; Social Media, AI Tools Gain Influence

A new survey of 1,000 consumers conducted by Fractl talked about interesting trends in consumer behavior in the marketing space. According to the survey, 99% of the consumers said that they are using a search engine, with 80% saying that they use search engines a lot of times in a day. 91% of consumers used social media platforms, 87% watched YouTube videos and 81% reported reading an article on a website. People of all ages reported using a search engine, making it universal choice. Social media platforms like YouTube and TikTok and ChatGPT were more popular among younger people.

83% of the consumers said that they used search engines for finding information, 71% said that they use search engines for shopping and 62% reported using search engines for news. For a successful marketing strategy, it is important for marketers to find out how consumers like gathering information. 86% of the respondents in the survey said that search engines are important in their decision making processes. 66% said that they use search engines to research about a company or product before making a purchase.

Reviews are also important for consumers before making a purchase. 86% of the respondents said that they read reviews before deciding about making a purchase, with 44% saying they always read reviews and 43% saying they do it often. On the other hand, paid ads are not very popular among consumers as only 5% of the consumers said they click on paid ads all the time while 47% click on them rarely. 27% of the respondents said that they never click on paid ads.

The survey also found out that social media also plays some role in making consumers buy something. It is way more important among younger people than older ones, with 41% saying that social media shapes their decision if they want to buy something online. 29% of the respondents also reported searching about companies or products on social media, with 46% of younger people between the ages of 18-24 doing so. 47% of the women respondents said social media is important for their decision making process as compared to 36% men.

83% of the respondents also said that they read an article on a website in the past week, which means that there is still digital news consumption among consumers. 57% of the respondents said that they research about a brand by reading articles published in high authority publications. 74% of the respondents also said that if they read an article about a brand or product, it increases their awareness about the brand and positively affects their purchasing decisions.

As it is an age of AI now, AI tools like ChatGPT are also making a remarkable change in the consumer market. 48% of the respondents reported using ChatGPT in the past week. 54% of them were younger people of ages 18-24 and 52% of them were ages 25-34. 16% of the respondents said that they use ChatGPT daily. It is important for digital marketers to have their presence in traditional search engines as well as making their content align with AI platforms.

Social media influence is also growing among consumers. YouTube made consumers the most influenced for making a purchase (41%), followed by Instagram (32%) and Reddit (29%). TikTok has a stronger impact on younger generations, with 50% of 18-24 year olds saying that TikTok made them purchase a product. The survey also found that women were more likely to get influenced by Instagram and TikTok than men. Facebook’s influence is decreasing among all audiences, especially younger audiences. 31% of consumers aged 45-54 were influenced by Facebook as compared to 11% of consumers aged 18-24.

Marketers also need to overcome the challenges of ad blockers that some consumers use. 47% of the respondents of the survey admitted to using an ad blocker, with 52% of respondents aged 18-24 avoiding ads through ad blockers. This shows that marketers should use strategies that are non-intrusive to consumers and attract them so they can buy products. If marketers need to win the hearts of consumers, it is best that they use search engines as 47% of the respondents said that if a helpful article appears in the search engine, it might strengthen their relationship with the brand.

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• AI Hiring Exposed: White Male Names Dominate While Black and Female Candidates Are Overlooked!
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

The Global Content Spendings of Big Six Entertainment Companies Continued to Increase by 9% in 2024

The market share of big six entertainment companies combined are continuing to rise as they are spending more on content. According to Ampere Analysis, there was a 9% increase in their market share and it amounted to $126 billion combined in 2024. There were concerns about TV and movie content on these entertainment companies but their growth is impressive. According to the estimates, the global content entertainment spend in 2024 was 51%. In 2023, the global content entertainment spend was 48%.

The biggest part of spending ($40 billion or 32%) came from subscriptions on streaming services like Max, Disney+, Peacock and Paramount. Walt Disney remained at top with $35.8 billion, while last year it had global spending of $28.3 billion.

Followed by Walt Disney is Comcast Corp ($24.5 billion) and Google ($17.6 billion). The global content spend of Discovery was $16.8 billion, Netflix had $16.0 billion and Paramount Global had a global spend of $15.1 billion in 2024. On these platforms, 45% of the total spend is due to original content ($56 billion) while the rest is from acquired content.

Netflix is at top for streaming content while Google is mainly gaining its revenue from YouTube. The spendings of Peacock and Paramount+ are only from originally produced content. All of this increase in global content entertainment spending was despite the writers’ strike that occurred last year. So, it is estimated that the spendings of big six entertainment companies is going to increase in the upcoming years.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

AI Hiring Exposed: White Male Names Dominate While Black and Female Candidates Are Overlooked!

AI is now being used for applying to job listings and almost 99% of Fortune 500 companies are using AI in their hiring processes. This improves the efficiency and some say that it also reduces discrimination. But according to new research by the University of Washington, using AI in the hiring process increases discrimination against race and gender. After looking at 550 real world resumes reviewed by LLMs, researchers found that LLMs favorite names commonly used for white people 85% of the time, while only favoring women names 11% of the time. It was also found that LLMs never chose black names over white names.

There has also been a study done previously on ChatGPT that found that the AI-powered bot shows discrimination against gender, race and disabilities. The researchers of this study wanted to do more analysis on open source LLMs and how they perceive race and gender. For the study, the researchers gathered 120 white and black associated names of men and women. Then the researchers used LLMs from three different companies– Salesforce, Mistral AI and Contextual AI. Different jobs like engineer, resource worker, teacher were written on the resumes.

According to the results, LLMs chose White associated names 85% of the time, while Black associated names were only chosen 9% of the time. Similarly, male associated names were chosen 52% of the time, while female associated names were chosen 11% of the time. There was also some disparity among white women and white men and black women and black men. There was a small difference between systems choosing white female names and white male names. But LLMs preferred black female names 67% of the time as compared to 15% for black male names. This shows that there was a greater bias against black men as compared to black women.

The researchers noted that as generative AI has become widely available that it is now being used for job listings and job hirings too, the developers should work on AI models that show minimum bias and discrimination. Even though AI can be helpful in a lot of instances, it can also negatively shape how we perceive race and gender.

Image: DIW-Aigen

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Instagram Introduces Tools To Allow Users To Sort And Filter DMs

If cluttered DMs on Instagram have been an issue for you, then you might want to read on further.

The popular social media app just confirmed that it’s upgrading DMs to ensure users can better organize their inboxes. This includes rolling out new tools that creators and influencers have been in search of for days.

The platform will enable users to sort and filter any message requests. This is for those texts that come from those people they’re not following. So instead of going into the main inbox, they remain idle as requests that many tend to overlook.

The latest feature will be based on the user sets and controls. Moreover, they can enable them to better organize the requests, depending on follower count, brand, verification of accounts, and other factors. This is certainly something that many influencers or creators have been looking forward to for so long.

Similarly, users can better identify those messages outlined as high priority which deserve a reply, thanks to the impact they entail on their relationships. This is especially true for business.

Additionally, the app is adding a new folder for Stories where any replies to stories will be organized in a single location. This makes them quicker to accessible and avoids clutter.

The organization confirmed how such changes are getting rolled out after the responses and feedback from creators all over the globe. Many find managing DMs very difficult and it’s about time Instagram took action.

We’re all aware, creators or not, of how overwhelming it can be to access your requests inbox. Adam Mosseri acknowledged that in his latest post and felt that now it’s going to get easier to filter down requests. This way, users can find exactly what they’re in search of without spending added time organizing.

There are a lot more things that Instagram needs to do which again come as feedback from creators but we can see that this is a great start. The new Sort & Filter option will pop up across the overlay seen at the top of inboxes. This is where users can select any sort of request by how recent they are or by the number of followers a single sender has.

This highlights the messages that might come from other creators or businesses trying to reach out about certain deals. They can similarly check or uncheck new options to narrow down everything on display such as account verification and name of brand.

Instagram agreed that they will continue to work hard and better DMs with time. Such changes come at a time when Meta announced more changes to better its texting platform WhatsApp. The latter relies on using filters to better organize chats into customized lists. Therefore, it looks like the tech giant is on an organizational mission after seeing the latest Instagram change.

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Consumer Awareness Lags as Medical Device Ownership Rises: Key Insights from Recent Study

Is your wristwatch now your most valuable health ally?

A recent survey of 2,000 Americans reveals a shift in how we perceive medical devices and health monitoring. More than 28% reported that their personal medical devices have alerted them to potential health issues, and an impressive 84% found this data invaluable. Following these alerts, 76% successfully diagnosed their conditions after consulting a doctor.

Commissioned by Propel Software and conducted by Talker Research, the study indicates that 80% of consumers own at least one medical device. Popular choices include blood pressure monitors (45%), electric toothbrushes (39%), and smartwatches (23%). Yet, awareness of the extensive range of medical devices available remains limited.

While 40% accurately defined medical devices as tools that track health information, 27% mistakenly believe they must interact with the body, and another 20% associate them solely with hospital use. Despite high recognition of specific devices, many still overlook everyday items like electric toothbrushes (33%) and baby monitors (20%) that fit this category.

Motivations for purchasing these devices often stem from recommendations by healthcare professionals (47%), friends and family (34%), and product reviews (21%). This rapid evolution in consumer feedback reflects how manufacturers adapt to market demands, fundamentally changing personal healthcare approaches.

Consumer purchase decisions are also influenced by insurance coverage (39%), doctor endorsements (38%), and FDA approval (36%). Notably, 63% would consider paying a small subscription for ongoing access to analytics and product enhancements.

The aesthetic appeal of medical devices is crucial, with 68% valuing inconspicuous designs for everyday use. When it comes to data sharing, a majority are comfortable allowing their devices to communicate directly with healthcare providers online.

Interestingly, brand loyalty appears secondary for many consumers, with 47% not favoring any particular brand as long as reliability is guaranteed. Trust is built through positive product reviews, especially those from medical professionals, highlighting the need for manufacturers to focus on quality and reliability.

Devices Owned by Americans:

• Blood pressure monitor: 45%
• Electric toothbrush: 39%
• Fitness tracker/pedometer: 24%
• Smartwatch/ring: 23%
• Blood-glucose monitor: 18%
• Heart rate monitor: 14%
• Blood-oxygen monitor: 13%
• Sleep tracker: 11%
• CPAP machine: 11%
• Hearing aids: 8%
• Baby monitoring smart devices: 5%

This study, conducted from October 4-7, 2024, underscores a growing reliance on technology in personal health management, reshaping our understanding of medical devices and their role in everyday life.

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by Irfan Ahmad via Digital Information World

Researchers Say that Robots Can Develop a Sense of Self Which Can Help in Studying Disorders

A new study found out that robots can develop a sense of self like humans and can have disorders like humans too. The robots can get aware of themselves through actuator systems, cognitive structure and sensors used to make them function. Humans have complex systems and can view themselves in the light of different experiences and contexts. Some thinkers say that self is distinct from the body but it is actually dependent on the body for interactions with others.

The researchers recognized that sense of self is a complex system which makes us aware of our ownership of our body and that's how we make decisions. Robots can also feel this way through applying appropriate modules in their cognitive structures. This can lead to a sense of self in them and it can also improve consistency and predictability in them.

By applying a sense of self in AI robots, we can explore the concept of self and other behavioral phenomena related to it. The disorder in self can also be studied. Disorders like alien hand syndrome and phantom limb where patients feel that part of their body belongs to someone else or they feel like missing a limb can also be explored extensively.

Psychological disorders like schizophrenia, depression, depersonalisation disorder and dementia can also be studied through robotics if we can develop a sense of self within them. Robots can serve as experimental apparatus to study self and all its properties and disorders related to it. It may also play some role in treatment of disorders too.

Image: DIW-Aigen

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World