The greatest showdown on Earth

I call it the greatest current showdown on Earth. And it’s as fierce as you could imagine.

 

And its about marketing, creativity and people. The content landscape is witnessing an unprecedented battle between two major forces: AI-powered amazement and human authenticity. As the AI content creation market explodes from $2.3 billion in 2024 to a projected $80 billion by 2030, we're simultaneously seeing consumers place a premium on genuine, unfiltered experiences. This paradox defines modern digital marketing - 86% of consumers prioritize authenticity when choosing brands, yet 73% trust AI-generated content, especially when combined with human oversight. The numbers reveal a nuanced truth: it's not about choosing sides, but about understanding when each approach resonates.​

The engagement data tells a compelling story. User-generated content earns 6.9 times higher engagement than polished brand posts, and 93% of marketers report UGC (User Generated Content) outperforms traditional branded content (and, by the way, that partially explains the “influencers market”). Meanwhile, AI labeling creates a "trust penalty" - identical ads perform worse when labeled as AI-generated, with consumers rating them as less natural and less useful. Gen Z and Millennials, who will dominate purchasing power, overwhelmingly favor authenticity over perfection, with 61% preferring peer-created content and 67% relying on online reviews for purchasing decisions. Behind-the-scenes content, raw moments, and real stories are winning because they build the one currency that matters most: trust.​

I believe the future belongs to those who master the balance. As deepfake fraud quadruples globally and AI-generated misinformation threatens institutional trust, I personally believe brands should choose authenticity as their north star while leveraging AI for efficiency, not deception. The 52% of consumers who disengage from suspected AI content aren't rejecting technology - they're rejecting inauthenticity. Smart marketers should use AI to scale human creativity, not replace it. They'll embrace imperfection, showcase real people, and tell genuine stories (and never doubt the incredible power of story telling). Because in this greatest showdown, authenticity isn't just winning on engagement metrics - it's rebuilding the foundation of trust that AI alone cannot generate. The question isn't whether to use AI or be authentic. It's whether you'll let technology serve your humanity, or let it replace it. And that’s a choice we’ll all need to make in our lives.

Pursuit

“Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence” - Vince Lombardi

SLMs

"Your chatbot doesn't need to master advanced physics" - David Cox, Head of AI Research, IBM

Penelope Cruz

 Advertising. And human minds. Emirates (?) has a new advertising campaign with Penelope Cruz. And I can't watch the campaign without thinking on Iberia.

Publicidade. E mentes humanas. A Emirates (?) tem uma campanha nova com a Penelope Cruz. Eu não consigo ver a campanha sem pensar em Iberia.

About the power of compromise

Recently, I watched a news segment where two groups were locked in a heated debate - each so firmly anchored in their own principles that they couldn’t see how close they were to common ground. It made me reflect on how often (and maybe oftener) this happens in our communities and society at large: we become so focused on defending our idealized beliefs that we miss opportunities to build bridges and move forward together.

Compromise is sometimes seen as a sign of weakness or surrender, but I really believe it’s one of the greatest strengths we can show as individuals and as a society. True compromise isn’t about giving up on our values; it’s about recognizing our shared humanity and being willing to let go of smaller differences to achieve our overall objectives. When we approach disagreements with empathy and a willingness to listen, we open the door to understanding and lasting progress.

Throughout history, the most meaningful changes have come not from rigid standoffs, but from people finding ways to meet in the middle. By focusing on what unites us - rather than what divides us - we can create communities that are more inclusive, resilient, and hopeful. Compromise doesn’t mean everyone gets everything they want, but it does mean everyone has a voice and a stake in a shared future – and that is incredibly powerful by itself on the long run.

Progress is rarely made by building walls. It’s made by building bridges.

How AI Search Is Replacing Traditional SEO—And What Businesses Must Do to Stay Ahead

Welcome to 2025. The era of search is undergoing a seismic shift. Traditional SEO, long dominated by keyword optimization and link-building to climb Google’s “ten blue links,” is being rapidly overtaken by AI-powered search engines. Platforms like Google’s AI Overviews, Perplexity, and Microsoft Copilot now deliver direct, conversational answers, summarizing insights from across the web in seconds. For businesses, this means the old playbook is no longer enough — adapting to AI search is essential for staying visible and relevant in a landscape where users increasingly expect instant, authoritative answers.

Optimizing Your Website for AI Search

1. Focus on Search Intent and Direct Answers
AI search engines excel at understanding natural language and user intent. To stand out, your content must directly address the questions your audience is asking. Start articles with concise, well-structured answers, using clear headers like “What is…” or “How to…” to signal relevance. Incorporate FAQs, bulleted lists, and step-by-step guides to make it easy for AI models to extract and summarize your expertise.

2. Build Comprehensive, Authoritative Content
AI models prefer in-depth resources that cover topics from multiple angles. Develop long-form articles (2,000+ words) that include data-driven insights, case studies, and multiple perspectives. Cite reputable sources and link to original research to boost your authority and trustworthiness — key factors for AI-driven ranking.

3. Optimize Technical Infrastructure
Fast, mobile-friendly websites are a must. AI crawlers have strict timeouts, so compress images, streamline code, and use content delivery networks to ensure your site loads quickly. Implement structured data (schema markup) for FAQs, How-To guides, and articles to help AI interpret your content accurately.

4. Enhance Trust and Authority Signals with E-E-A-T
A central concept in both traditional and AI-driven SEO is E-E-A-T: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.

• Experience: Demonstrate first-hand, real-world knowledge of your subject through case studies, testimonials, or original research.
• Expertise: Highlight credentials, author bios, and subject-matter qualifications.
• Authoritativeness: Earn recognition in your field through citations, backlinks, and industry references.
• Trustworthiness: Ensure your content is accurate, transparent, and backed by reliable sources.
  AI search engines now heavily favor content and brands that embody these principles, often using E-E-A-T as a decisive factor in which sources are cited or summarized in answers.

5. Tailor Content for AI Models
Target long-tail, conversational keywords that mirror how users naturally ask questions. Add “Key Takeaways” or summary sections at the top of articles—AI engines often extract these for their overviews. Experiment with multimedia like videos and infographics, as AI search increasingly values diverse content formats.

 

Traditional SEO vs. AI Search Optimization

The Importance of Experimentation and Adaptation

AI search is evolving at breakneck speed, and what works today may not work tomorrow. Businesses must continuously monitor how their content is being surfaced in AI-powered results using tools like Andi or Firecrawl. Analyze which competitors are being cited by AI, test different content formats, and refresh your strategies regularly. The winners in this new era will be those who embrace experimentation, adapt quickly, and prioritize delivering clear, authoritative answers that AI — and users — can trust.

By rethinking your approach and aligning your web presence with the demands of AI search — and by deeply embedding E-E-A-T principles into your content and brand — you can capture high-intent traffic and maintain a competitive edge as the digital landscape transforms. But remember that adaptation is the name of the game right now.

Portugal's Business Transformation

I’m not very sure if people understand the acceleration of the digitalization of the Portuguese business reality over the past five years. A few years ago, at a business conference, most of the corporate user cases’ examples revolved around savings from not printing on paper anymore (yes, I know…) - there were a few more powerful examples but mostly in specific industries (e.g. finance). Nowadays, you see some companies deploying predictive and gen AI tools at scale to automate customer flows, forecast industrial downtimes, prototype innovation and understand dynamic pricing effects. As this trend accelerates and expands, legacy structures and processes (and yes, talent) are stretching under increasing pressure - highlighting the need for adaptation to thrive in a world of new opportunities.