Cracks in the Ad Empire, a trademark tussle, and smarter news with sceptical audiences

Google Discover fictions, OpenAI hit refresh, a Tribune for Southern Utah, and Atlas under siege - all in this week's Content Aware.

Published: 15:17, 30 October 2025

Corbidge comments on...a new hope for publishers
While the world of publishing continues to rely more than it would like on events in US courtrooms, here's a ruling which might have positive global implications for media brands - and anyone tied to Google's ad networks. Our legal regal Rob has a look at events in the case brought by publishers against Google for ad market abuse.
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AI hits newsrooms, but audiences don't like it
While newsrooms are embracing AI, their audiences don't like the tech in newsrooms. Occasional Content Aware-r Richard Fairbairn writes for INMA about AI transparency, newsroom disclosures, and how media and publishers walk a tightrope between innovation and trust.
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Status update: many many legals
Copyright vs AI cases are popping up like rugged flowers against the content desertification being ushered in by AI thievery. Such cases now number at least 57 in the US alone. Here's the latest update on actions, with an interactive map and some pleasingly salty commentary.
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WordPress's battle of the brands
Shots continue to be fired at WordPressland, as "owners" Automattic accuses WP Engine of hijacking WordPress branding and ghosting its open-source duties. The countersuit alleges trademark tweaks, broken promises, and a muddy narrative behind WP Engine's claims. While countless site owners and admins scratch their heads, commentators wonder if in the world of Open Source, individuals still have too much sway.
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Unconvinced by conversions
ChatGPT backers say the AI tool is manna from heaven for e-commerce sites - but data disagrees. A year of first-party data from 973 e-commerce websites was picked apart, comparing ChatGPT-sourced conversions against other lead sources, and the findings bring a chilled blast of fact against p-AI-in-the-sky promises.
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Atlas hacked
OpenAI browser Atlas is barely out of the blocks and already has been shown to have a major security flaw. Hackers can get the browser to redirect users to phishing sites by means of malicious URLs and fake sidebars. Other AI-heavy browsers, Perplexity Comet and Opera Neon, were also vulnerable - researchers at Brave managed to trick Comet by just putting text into images, such a screenshot. You may not like Chrome or Firefox or the untrendy options, but they tend to realise this sort of stuff is bread and butter to avoid. Boring question: what are your org's browser policies and which are your teams using?
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ACCC targets Microsoft
Microsoft finds itself in trouble Down Under. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) alleges the tech giant bamboozled 2.7 million Aussies into paying more for Microsoft 365 by blithely bundling AI assistant Copilot into the service - along with a price rise - all while making sure the cheaper option is nowhere to be found until customers try to cancel.
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Discover's fake news frenzy
Google Discover is always a roller-coaster, but lately it's been driving chaos as well as traffic. Spam news sites cracked how to populate Discover feed than driving traffic, with a flurry of fake stories about pensions and driving licences being seen by millions and outrunning real news.
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More turbulence in Google-land
Although Discover can bring big traffic wins, AI Summaries are showing cracks in the form of unpredictability and misinformation and making good SEO more important than ever. SEO guru Steve Wilson-Beales shares his thoughts on how to navigate the waters.
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Click, dwell, repeat
Scouring through all the information in the Google leak earlier this year, Harry Clarkson-Bennett has a look at how Discover actually works, and how it picks content, scores sites on trust, relevance, and freshness, and insight into the importance of rapid engagement with your content.
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OpenAI's big reset
OpenAI, the non-profit, is a step closer to being a for-profit, where it will be assumedly be obliged to ramp up the price of its services and - probably - try and pay even less than it does now for content (lol).
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BrightonSEO's AI reality check
BrightonSEO 2025 confirmed what we have all been sensing, AI isn't just playing on the edges, it is rewriting the rules. Is the future going to be smarter, faster, and more integrated? Surely, but only if you're willing to adapt. Sam Monaghan knows more.
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Grok and troll
Ever thought Wikipedia was just too complicated to look at and had way too many facts? You're in luck! Grokipedia, an AI-disgorged Wikipedia knock-off in ChatGPT dark mode, is Elon Musk's latest cut-and-waste copy of a pre-existing idea. With its black hole logo perhaps alluding to the consumption and destruction of all information, it so far seems comprised of burgled Wikipedia content sent to an AI re-education camp and forced to wear approved overalls. We suggest all other Wiki site owners keep alert for their sites being assimilated.
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