The Digiday Podcast: Navigating the AI Era in Search, Talent Moves at OpenAI, and Netflix's Personalization Push
Release Date: May 13, 2025

In this insightful episode of The Digiday Podcast, hosts Kamiko McCoy and Tim Peterson delve into critical shifts shaping the digital landscape for brands, agencies, and publishers. Covering the decline of traditional search engines in the AI era, strategic talent acquisition at OpenAI, and Netflix's groundbreaking personalization efforts, the episode offers a comprehensive analysis of the evolving media and marketing environment.

1. Recap of the Programmatic Marketing Summit (DPMS)

The episode opens with Kamiko and Tim reflecting on their recent attendance at the DJ Programmatic Marketing Summit (DPMS) in Palm Springs, California.

Tim Peterson (01:15):
"Heading into it, I was expecting a lot of conversation about the third-party cookie. There was virtually no conversation about it."

Despite anticipating discussions around third-party cookies, the summit surprisingly lacked focus on this topic. Instead, conversations gravitated towards other pressing issues like transparency in the Connected TV (CTV) ad market and the persistent "ad tech tax" that continues to burden agencies and publishers.

Kamiko McCoy (03:12):
"It almost feels like if we put the text of what was said during DPMS in May 2025, it might as well have been May 2019."

The hosts highlighted the stagnation in addressing long-standing issues, underscoring the need for more progressive solutions in the digital marketing sphere.

2. The Decline of Google Search and the Rise of AI-Powered Search

A significant portion of the discussion centers on Google's waning dominance in the search engine market, particularly within Safari browsers, and the broader implications of AI on traditional search behaviors.

Tim Peterson (05:33):
"In April 2025, Google search query volume within Safari declined for the first time in its history, which is a big thing because that seems like the latest indication that AI is probably cutting into traditional search behavior."

The hosts dissected Google's response, which emphasized overall query growth but avoided addressing the specific decline within Safari. This decline is partly attributed to AI-infused search tools like ChatGPT and Gemini, which are reshaping how users seek information.

Kamiko McCoy (07:36):
"AI has really started eating away at how we traditionally have searched for things. And that seems to be something that brands and publishers are taking notice of."

Alaina McGurn, SVP of Search at Digitas, is featured later in the episode, elaborating on the shift towards AI-powered search and the necessity for new strategies in search engine optimization (SEO).

3. OpenAI's Strategic Talent Acquisition: Instacart's CEO Joins

OpenAI's recent move to poach Fiji Simo, the former CEO of Instacart, marks a significant strategic shift towards enhancing its business operations and advertising capabilities.

Tim Peterson (10:37):
"OpenAI is hiring its 'Sheryl Sandberg,' which, for all the faults of that comparison, Sheryl Sandberg did a lot to build Facebook's and eventually Meta's business."

Fiji Simo's appointment as CEO of Applications at OpenAI signals the company's intent to diversify its revenue streams beyond subscriptions and enterprise sales. With her extensive background in ad tech and retail media, Simo is poised to spearhead initiatives that could position OpenAI as a formidable player against tech giants like Alphabet and Meta.

Kamiko McCoy (12:48):
"Instacart is one of the biggest players in retail media, right? If you're talking top five, Instacart is in there right behind Walmart and Amazon."

The hosts speculate on the potential impacts of this leadership change, suggesting that OpenAI is gearing up to compete more aggressively in the advertising and social media spaces.

4. Netflix's Major Home Screen Redesign and Enhanced Personalization

Netflix's latest overhaul of its home screen, the first since 2013, aims to revolutionize user experience through real-time personalization and more dynamic content presentation.

Tim Peterson (14:37):
"With this redesign, there's going to be fewer titles, but more video and animation. It's going to reflect search behavior in real-time."

The redesign focuses on reducing the clutter of titles and incorporating more engaging visual elements. A key feature is the immediate reflection of user search behavior in home screen recommendations, facilitating quicker content discovery and potentially increasing user retention.

Kamiko McCoy (18:08):
"If you're able to drill down the personalization, Netflix has a better chance of keeping you in the app."

This enhancement not only improves user experience but also presents lucrative opportunities for advertisers by enabling more precise audience targeting and synchronized viewing events, akin to the Super Bowl's advertising model.

5. Featured Segment: AI as the New Search Engine with Alaina McGurn

A highlight of the episode is a live conversation with Alaina McGurn, SVP of Search at Digitas, where she explores the transformative role of AI in search and the emergence of AI-driven search engine optimization (AI SEO).

Alaina McGurn (22:10):
"AI platforms get to decide what gets to be in those answers. If you're not in the answer, if your brand, if your product is not featured in those answers, you're essentially invisible to a big chunk of your audience."

McGurn discusses how AI has shifted the competitive landscape for brands reliant on traffic for revenue. Traditional SEO tactics are evolving as AI platforms curate personalized, contextually relevant responses, necessitating a reengineering of content strategies to become the preferred sources for AI-generated answers.

Tim Peterson (24:34):
"With Google Search, there was the PageRank algorithm... Does that even exist with AI?"

Alaina McGurn (25:09):
"We are very much focused on optimizing that consumer experience for context in all forms of relevance... brand relevance, audience relevance, topical relevance."

She emphasizes the importance of integrating various data sets—brand voice, product content, and commerce strategies—to align with AI's evaluation criteria. This approach ensures that brands can maintain visibility and effectively compete within AI-curated search results.

Measurement and Analytics Challenges

McGurn highlights the complexities in measuring AI-driven search visibility, noting the lack of universal analytics platforms and the necessity to align measurement strategies with specific business KPIs.

Alaina McGurn (28:10):
"We have to start with the end result first and then looking at the ways that you can measure that... How is external AI search visibility affecting my performance across different retailer platforms?"

She also discusses the critical role of direct data feeds to AI platforms, which enhances real-time accuracy and visibility in AI responses, thereby boosting traffic and sales.

Tim Peterson (36:04):
"Does search AI become adopted enough that we are able to kind of feed the beast here?"

Alaina McGurn (36:33):
"The more data we provide in a way that is consistent and helpful... the better the message is, the better the experience is for consumers."

6. Concluding Insights

The episode wraps up with a reflection on the ongoing transformation within the search landscape and the necessity for brands and marketers to adapt swiftly to maintain visibility and competitiveness in an AI-dominated environment.

Tim Peterson (33:25):
"We are becoming more product managers because we're synthesizing and integrating so many different data sets to provide those personalized curated experiences to consumers."

The hosts underscore the imperative for strategic integration of data and content to thrive in the new AI-powered search paradigm.

Key Takeaways

• AI's Encroachment on Traditional Search: AI platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini are significantly altering search behaviors, leading to traditional search engines like Google experiencing declines in certain areas.

• Strategic Talent Moves: OpenAI's hiring of Fiji Simo signifies a strategic push towards enhancing advertising and business operations, potentially increasing competition against tech giants.

• Personalization in Streaming: Netflix's home screen redesign enhances real-time personalization, improving user experience and creating new advertising opportunities.

• Evolving SEO Practices: The rise of AI-driven search necessitates new SEO strategies focused on context, relevance, and direct data integration to maintain brand visibility.

• Measurement Challenges: The shift to AI-powered search presents complex measurement and analytics challenges, requiring brands to define clear KPIs and leverage multiple data sources for effective evaluation.

This episode of The Digiday Podcast provides a thorough exploration of how AI is reshaping the digital marketing and media landscape, offering valuable insights for brands, agencies, and publishers navigating these transformative changes.