• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, Yesterday

Qwant, a French search engine that prioritizes user privacy, has asked the French regulator to act against Microsoft for allegedly driving down the quality of search engine results on Bing.

Microsoft and Google have become a source of search content, acting as syndication aggregators for smaller engines now concerned these larger companies will discontinue service with the growth of AI engines.

The watchdog plans to take interim action against Microsoft, according to people with direct knowledge of the situation.

Some companies depending on Google are in agreement with the search monopoly decision by the U.S. Department of Justice that found Google has a monopoly over search.

The Justice Department (DOJ) has proposed remedies that could significantly impact Mozilla and its Firefox browser, for example. 

Mozilla urged the court to consider remedies that achieve its goals without harming independent browsers, browser engines and ultimately without harming the web.

Microsoft Bing presents an interesting twist on competition related to the growth of AI engines. Qwant’s suggests the decline breaches contract terms. 

An internal OpenAI document supporting its strategy reveals how OpenAI plans to turn ChatGPT into a ubiquitous super assistant by mid-2025 -- serving as a personalized gateway to the entire Internet. The document was identified by The Decoder.

Most of the document is blocked out, but it does make it clear that OpenAI intends to make its technology the portal to the internet.

OpenAI also supports regulations that require platforms to allow users to choose ChatGPT as their default assistant, Tom’s Guide reported.  

Digital channels now account for 61.1% of total marketing spend, according to a survey published today from Gartner.

Seven of 10 sectors dedicate more than 60% of their budget to online channels. Paid search -- the top digital channel -- increased its share year-over-year from 13.6% to 13.9% of total digital spend, according to Gartner.