Every few weeks, AI reminds us it still has limits. This month, Anthropic published a report stating the longer an LLM reasons, the more likely they were to veer off course. But quirks aside, the momentum is real. And GPT‑5 is about to push it even further.
We’re building client workflows around tools that felt experimental six months ago. Think auto-generated microsite videos, AI-driven audience research, and privacy-first conversion modeling. Google just launched an AI-powered search guide that reframes how users find information. The old ways of building marketing strategy, like linear funnels and keyword spreadsheets, don’t cut it anymore.
Meanwhile, I’ve been testing deep research agents to speed up strategic planning. The results are still mixed. But the good ones feel like having an intern who doesn’t sleep.
Lots to unpack. Let’s dive in.
Patrick Patterson
CEO at Level Agency
What's interesting this week
Google's AI Search Guide Rethinks the Web Google’s new Web Guide is what happens when AI starts curating the internet for you. Instead of links, you get structured topic breakdowns. This could upend everything from SEO to how we think about user intent. Read more
AI-Powered Deep Research for Marketing I've been running battle tests with these deep research tools. The bad ones waste time. But the good ones do three hours of strategy work in fifteen minutes. They extract insights from PDFs, slide decks, competitor pages, and customer interviews. Huge time-saver if your team builds briefs or pitches. Read more
Personalized CX Without the Creep Factor Personalization isn't dead. Bad personalization is. With AI, smart brands are creating customer experiences that feel tailored and timely without crossing the line. Think Netflix-style suggestions, not creepy tracking. This is the playbook for building trust and driving loyalty. Read more
Proton’s AI Chatbot Puts Privacy First Proton, the privacy-first company behind encrypted email, just released an AI chatbot that never shares your data. That’s a big win for regulated industries and a warning shot to every SaaS platform that treats privacy as optional. Read more
Samsung Bets Big on Video AI Samsung is pouring capital into a video AI platform that analyzes thousands of hours of footage. It’s not just surveillance. Imagine turning raw footage into brand-safe clips, event highlights, or training reels automatically. This is where video marketing is heading. Read more
When “Thinking Harder” Makes AI Worse Anthropic found that some models get dumber the longer they try to reason. Overthinking isn’t just a human problem. If you’re chaining prompts, pay attention to how depth impacts output. Sometimes less really is more. Read more
Deep dive: AI
GPT-5 is coming. Time to get your house in order.
OpenAI just confirmed GPT-5 is launching in August, and it’s being designed to reason better, remember more, and handle context across longer timelines. With persistent memory and tighter integration, GPT-5 could shift from reactive tool to active collaborator.
We’re building workflows that assume AI will track decisions, campaign results, client nuances, and strategic goals across sessions. That changes how we use AI in account planning, content development, and even performance reviews.
OpenAI is also doubling down on platform control. The trend is clear: more built-in features, fewer reasons to leave the ChatGPT environment, and tighter integrations across Microsoft and other ecosystems.
If you lead a team, now’s the time to design around these capabilities. What will your org do when AI remembers everything?
Cookie-based marketing is on life support. The smartest brands aren’t mourning. They’re sprinting into contextual, consent-based strategy.
We’re helping clients shift from pixel dumps and hacked-together tagging to clean attribution and AI-powered segmentation. The payoff is better engagement, lower CAC, and fewer compliance headaches. Even CFOs are noticing.
AI is doing the heavy lifting. With clean first-party and zero-party data, we use machine learning to spot patterns, cluster users by intent, and deliver content that resonates. No surveillance required. Just signals people willingly share and tech that knows what to do with them.
When you stop relying on shortcuts, you have to create value that earns attention. That’s where the best marketers thrive.
String is a new AI tool that turns plain-language instructions into working automations.
You don’t build flows with blocks or drag anything around. You just type what you want to happen across tools like Slack, Notion, and HubSpot, and String builds the workflow for you.
It feels more like writing a task list than programming logic. The UI is clean, the responses are fast, and the outputs make sense without a lot of fiddling.
If you’ve hit the limits of Zapier or n8n and want something that moves faster, this is worth exploring.
