Top Highlights
Wikipedia Tells AI Companies: “Stop Scraping, Use Our Paid API” – Wikipedia is pushing AI companies to shift from unrestricted scraping to its paid Enterprise API. The move aims to protect its servers and ensure AI models use stable, verified data. It’s a major signal that free open-web scraping is tightening. (Source)
Google Maps Adds AI Tools to Build Interactive Projects – Google Maps launched new AI-powered tools that let users design interactive maps, workflows, and custom visual journeys. It’s now easier for brands and creators to build immersive, sharable map-based experiences – no coding needed. (Source)
WriterAccess: How AppSumo Scaled a Marketplace to 15,000 Writers – AppSumo shared the inside story of acquiring and scaling WriterAccess, turning it into a marketplace with 15K vetted writers. Strong onboarding, transparent pricing, and a clear niche helped drive consistent growth in a crowded content market. (Source)
Google Deprecates ‘Practice Problem’ Structured Data – Google has officially retired support for Practice Problem structured data used for learning and educational queries. Pages using it won’t see rich result enhancements anymore, signaling a continued shift in how Google handles educational SERPs. (Source)
Google: Using Different TLDs Doesn’t Improve SEO – Google clarified that domains like .ai, .io, .dev, or .xyz do not get any SEO advantage over .com. TLDs are treated the same in rankings – the only real impact is user perception and branding preferences. (Source)
Apple Plans Major Siri Upgrade Powered by Google AI – Apple is preparing a major Siri overhaul using Google’s AI models to improve accuracy, context understanding, and responsiveness. This partnership could transform Siri into a far more capable assistant and tighten the Apple–Google AI relationship. (Source)
Google Introduces Private AI Compute for Sensitive Data – Google announced “Private Compute,” a new AI system that keeps sensitive processing local and encrypted to protect user data. It’s designed for enterprises needing AI capabilities without exposing confidential information to cloud models. (Source)
Is China About to Win the Global AI Race? – Fortune reports that China’s rapid advances in AI hardware, model scaling, and government-backed R&D could shift global leadership. With huge investments and fast deployment cycles, China is positioning itself to challenge US dominance in AI. (Source)
Open-Source AI Market Set to Explode by 2034 – A new Market.us report forecasts significant growth in open-source AI, driven by transparent development, lower costs, and flexible customization. Businesses are rapidly adopting community-led models as alternatives to proprietary AI platforms. (Source)
Growth Zone (Marketing, SEO & PLG Insights)
SEER: CTR Is Becoming “AI Optimized,” Not Searcher Optimized – SEER’s analysis shows that Google’s AI Overviews push users toward AI-generated answers more than actual search results. This shift reduces CTR across many SERPs and forces brands to rethink rankings, snippets, and user intent targeting. (Source)
SaaStr: “Traditional SaaS Is Dying – And It Might Be Your Fault” – SaaStr argues that slow-moving teams, weak differentiation, and outdated onboarding are killing classic SaaS models. Modern buyers expect faster activation, clearer value, and AI-first experiences – and companies failing at this are falling behind. (Source)
Google: “Don’t Rely on SEO Audit Tool Scores” – Google reminded SEOs that audit scores in popular tools are not ranking factors and often over-simplify real issues. They confirmed these scores don’t reflect Google’s algorithms and shouldn’t be treated as indicators of search performance. (Source)
Google Expands Image Search Ads with New Mobile Carousel – Google rolled out a new mobile carousel ad format in Image Search, giving brands more visual space and swipeable placements. It’s designed to boost engagement and visibility for product-led advertisers, especially in ecommerce and lifestyle niches. (Source)
ChatGPT Ads Are Coming Soon – OpenAI confirmed that ads will eventually appear inside ChatGPT, opening a new ad channel where brands can reach users through conversational placements. Details are still scarce, but this could reshape how marketers target intent and discovery inside AI tools. (Source)
Google AI Mode Rolls Out with Agentic Booking in Labs – Google is testing a new AI-powered mode that can handle end-to-end tasks like booking appointments or planning activities. The agentic experience integrates search, recommendations, and actions – a preview of Google’s assistant-driven future. (Source)
