BY Kathy Crosett
As advertising becomes increasingly automated and clients look to streamline their operations, a clear understanding of artificial intelligence (AI) terminology is more important than ever. When technology evolves quickly, it's essential that everyone — accounts and sellers alike — speak the same language. It’s time to educate your accounts about AI terms for marketing. This post highlights some must-know terms.
What is AI?
By grounding your conversations in a shared understanding of what AI is, you can build stronger partnerships, set realistic expectations, and unlock more value from the tools reshaping the marketing landscape.
Start with the basics by defining artificial intelligence:
Artificial Intelligence (AI) refers to machines or computer systems designed to mimic human-like capabilities such as decision-making, problem-solving, and language understanding.
AI systems rely on underlying technology which may include one of the following features:
Machine learning (ML)
Algorithms analyze data and then detect and learn from patterns in the data. Example: Based on the TV shows a person enjoys, AI can recommend similar shows to watch.
Natural language processing (NLP)
This part of an AI system uses both large and small language models to understand human conversation. This technology is used in smart speakers.
Large language models (LLM)
This underlying technology interfaces between users and the AI. It reads incoming queries and commands and generates content. ChatGPT is a LLM.
Generative AI
Refers to AI models that are designed to create content. Their content production is based on the data used to train them. ChatGPT is a type of generative AI.
If you have a subscription to AdMall, you also have access to AdMall Sales Coach, a generative AI tool that provides answers to your media sales questions.
How Does AI Impact SEO?
Buyers are accustomed to using search engines to find what they want online. But generative AI is gaining recognition as another search tool. Among the AI terms for marketing you should know, consider this next one.
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)
The practice of optimizing content with the goal of making it more visible in AI-based searches such as on ChatGPT or Google AI Overviews. More consumers are using AI tools to search online. Your account’s content should be discoverable by these tools.
AudienceSCAN from AdMall reveals that 19% of U.S. adults are considered AI Searchers. These consumers most frequently search online using ChaptGPT or another AI tool.
AI Tools to Increase Marketing Productivity
You and your accounts can use AI to find what you’re looking for online. And you can use AI-based tools to increase productivity. The following tools should be part of your vocabulary when it comes to AI terms for marketing.
Prompt Engineering
Humans can learn to adjust the way they pose questions to the AI model to obtain exactly what they are looking for. A slight change in a question or command can result in a huge improvement in the AI-generated results.
Agentic AI
An AI system that is given tasks and subsequently divides them into subtasks. It relies on feedback to continue working. Autonomous vehicles use agentic AI. Marketers can design these systems to monitor campaign success. They should build in pauses to allow for human checking.
Predictive Analytics
Your accounts have plenty of data. But they may not know how to use it or have the time to sift through information to find meaningful trends. Machine learning algorithms can scan the data and predict what will happen next. Your accounts will want to know a detail like: “What is the likelihood that a lead will convert?” Predictive analytics shines in lead scoring.
AI Challenges
Using AI tools results in impressive time-saving benefits. But understanding AI terms for marketing also means keeping track of challenges presented by the technology. Here are some of the changes and challenges you and your accounts may encounter as you interact with AI.
Zero-click search results
When results appear on the search page, users do not click through to a website. This situation happens when AI Overviews appear on Google search results.
AI Overviews (AIOs)
Google introduced AIOs in 2024. The AI-generated answers to searches appear in text at the top of the page and links to two or three pages in a box in the upper right corner. Users see answers to their question at the top of the page. The searchers often don’t move down the page to click on any other results.
AI Bias
(This is also known as machine-learning bias.) Statements or projections made by a generative AI model may be false or skewed because the sample data used to train it was too small. Using the right data and team members can remove bias from the results.
Hallucination
AI-technology is not perfect. Hallucinations happen when misleading or incorrect information appears in AI-generated results.
Slop
AI-generated content that is designed for one purpose — to attract clicks. Slop sites are on a huge growth curve and steal clicks from publishers that operate in the programmatic realm.
Where Is AI Going
The AI terms for marketing will continue to change as the technology advances. As it advances, analysts debate how long it will take to reach AGI. This important term is defined below.
Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)
This is the concept that AI will eventually “match the many powers of the human mind.” This technology has not been perfected, and there is still discussion about how to define AGI. But big tech companies are working on AGI and superintelligence.
In the meantime, use AI and educate yourself and your accounts on this evolving technology. Stay current with the top AI terms for marketing. Your accounts will rely on your wisdom to help them with this technology.
Image by Google Deep Mind on Pexels
