Episode 6 of Localogy’s “This Week in Local” podcast tackles two more issues on the minds of Localogy analysts and writers Mike Boland and Charles Laughlin.
One issue is Apple Maps’ big move to make itself a bit more like Google by launching Apple Business Connect.
The other is a further discussion on generative AI. Specifically, the analysts examine what impact Microsoft’s investments in Open AI might have on ChatGPT’s future as a product.
One thought, made only half tongue in cheek, was that once embedded in Microsoft’s Office suite, ChatGPT might become a modern and more robust version of Clippy, the much-maligned Microsoft chatbot of yore. And by “yore” we mean Windows 97.
TWIL is Localogy’s weekly podcast featuring brief (sub 30 minute) but “lively conversations on the local digital ecosystem.” Please subscribe to TWIL on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. And please take a moment to give us a rating, and we hope for a review as well.
Part I: Apple Maps Gets More Like Google
Mike kicks off Episode 6 by talking about the importance of Apple Maps’ effort to crowdsource its data in a Google-like fashion via the launch of Apple Business Connect. This is a new self-service listings management feature that Apple seems to hope will mirror the success of Google My Business (now Google Business Profiles). The end game is to make the user experience for Apple Maps much richer than it is now.
Mike poses a very fundamental question as he describes what Apple is doing with its maps product. Google is able to incentivize user-generated local listings data with a deft carrot-stick approach built around local SEO.
Mike wonders if Apple will have the same “gravitational pull” as Google to incentivize SMBs to complete their profiles.
“If anything works in Apple’s favor, it is that Apple Maps is pre-installed in 1.5 billion iOS and Mac OS devices,” Mike said.
The analysts also wondered how quickly digital agencies and listings management platforms would integrate Apple Business Connect into their offerings.
Between the recording and release of this episode, both Yext and Soci announced integrations with the Apple Business Connect API. This will allow their respective customers to fill out profiles at scale.
Part II: Clippy 2.0
Charlie then asked how Microsoft’s multi-billion dollar investment in Open AI might impact AI bot ChatGPT’s future as a product.
Charlie noted on the podcast that one of his Twitter followers called Open AI’s $29 billion valuation “insane”. Then Charlie asked if the valuation might actually be modest given the vast nature of Open AI’s opportunity to change how seemingly everything is done. From delivering search results to arguing legal cases to creating marketing content.
The two then wondered if embedding Chat GPT into Bing would elevate Bing from punchline to player in local search.
And then the brainstorming took another turn.
“If you look at the Office Suite,” Mike said. “A lot of it can use AI-based chat in the workflow of everything from PowerPoint to Excel. This could be the 2.0 version of Clippy.”
You can also find this “Apple Maps and Clippy 2.0” episode of the podcast (and all others) on Localogy’s YouTube channel. Please subscribe to this channel if you prefer to get your content on YouTube.
