Building the Internet for Machines: The Next Tectonic Shift

Michael Walrath, CEO of Yext, on the shift from an internet built for humans to one built for machines. The founder of Right Media which was acquired by Yahoo for $850 million, and Moat which was acquired by Oracle, argues the importance of structured data for AI-driven search and discoverability. Google, he says, will still be important, but will soon no longer be the entire oxygen of the internet. As AI blows this space apart, marketers, he urges, must quickly adapt by focusing on data architecture and leveraging new AI tools like ChatGPT and TikTok. However, he believes that the future is bright, if only for marketers who understand the scope of this exciting tectonic shift.