On this week's episode of The MadTech Podcast, Seun Odeneye, managing director, UK and Ireland, at Matterkind, joins ExchangeWire's Mat Broughton and Lindsay Rowntree to discuss Microsoft's reported plans to add ChatGPT to Bing, the EU ordering Meta to stop in-app targeting, Roku launching their own TVs, and more.

ChatGPT could be incorporated into Bing 

If this move goes ahead, could it dismantle Google’s revenue model? Will Google’s LaMDA help them fight back? Will incorporating conversational AI overtake traditional search?

Microsoft are reportedly seeking to integrate ChatGPT into their Bing search engine. According to a report from The Information, the tech giant could launch the new feature, which would include the technology behind the OpenAI-created software, as early as the end of March 2023.

The move, which has neither been confirmed nor denied by either company, would mark a continuation of Microsoft’s relationship with OpenAI, the pair having signed a multi-year deal to work together on building AI for Microsoft’s Azure cloud computing platform. 

Microsoft, who last year revealed ambitions to add image generation software from their Dall-E image creation technology into Bing, could put themselves in a stronger position to challenge Google if they forge ahead with the reported plans. By incorporating ChatGPT, which provides conversational responses to users’ questions, Bing could become the search engine of choice for more internet users, helping Microsoft steal some of Google’s large share in search advertising.

Irish DPC rules against Meta targeting with app data

Will Meta now have to ask users to opt in to personalised ads? If so, what could this mean for Meta’s advertising operations?

The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) have fined Meta €390m (~£344.5m) after ruling that the company breached EU data privacy laws by using in-app data for targeted advertising without users’ consent. Following advice from the European Data Protection Board, the regulator rejected the company’s claim that users of Facebook and Instagram accepted having their data utilised for personalised advertising as a condition of using the sites.

The ruling could mean that Meta will now be required to ask users to opt in to receiving personalised advertising based on the data they generate whilst on Meta-owned platforms. The DPC have reportedly given Meta three months to change their practices and remove consenting to targeted advertising from their terms of service.

The news is the latest blow to Meta’s targeted advertising model, which has already been restricted by Apple’s introduction of App Tracking Transparency (ATT), which presents iPhone users with the option to opt out of being tracked by apps. According to analysts cited by the Wall Street Journal, the Big Tech firm could see their ad revenue decline by up to 20% if a significant proportion of users decline personalised advertising following the EU ruling.

Roku launch own-brand TVs

What impact could introducing their own hardware have on Roku’s status in the streaming space?

Roku have revealed that they will launch two television lines. The new releases, Roku Select and Roku Plus TVs, will span 11 models ranging in price from USD $119 (~£97.93) to USD $999 (~£822.10), with the lower-end editions expected to begin shipping from the Spring.

The streaming heavyweight have been expected to move into hardware for a while, and recently made their debut into the smart home space by selling rebranded Wyze products. Roku claim that their flagship streaming software is already integrated on a third of US TVs, and CEO Anthony Wood says that the company’s own brand will naturally prioritise streaming. It’s understood that Roku will leave the building of the hardware to an as yet undisclosed partner.

The move could risk upsetting Roku’s TV manufacturer partners, but the company assert that their goal for the TVs is to test and improve Roku’s programming for all users. “Our brand of televisions will allow us to test and introduce compelling features on our own product, which we will then make available for our full Roku TV OEM program,” according to VP of retail strategy Chris Larson.