The end of Search as we know It
OpenAI is collaborating with Jony Ive to create what could be our next AI companion device.
It won't be a phone, glasses, earbuds, or laptop. It will be something entirely new. Picture a pocketable, always-on assistant that gets to know you, remembers your preferences, and has natural conversations with you. It will draw from what you've shared with it in the past, what it discovers online and what it learns from trusted sources.
In a few years – 5? 3? When a prospective high school student asks it, "What's it like to study at university?" I'd love for it to have a thoughtful, accurate answer about the university where I work.
And people worry about the relationships kids have with their phones now? Wait ‘til they get a load of this situation!!
We’re shifting from “mobile first” to “assistant first” experiences. For years we've crafted content for people reading on screens. Big screens, tiny screens, responsive screens, screen readers. They all open a browser and invite us to search for something and we click through results to find the info. Not on the first page of search results? Good luck with that! That approach is changing. Increasingly, people are now talking to their AI chatbots (assistants?) and receiving direct, conversational answers without needing keyboards, browsers, or traditional search results.
The experience feels personal and effortless. Natural. Easy. For those of us managing content, it presents both opportunities and challenges for what we’ve always done, and what we now need to do.
Our content has always benefited from being both human-friendly and machine-readable. We’ve always prioritised:
writing clearly and directly
maintaining current information as trusted sources
ensuring consistency across all touchpoints (as best we can)
using structured data standards like Schema.org
accessibility, responsiveness, scanability.
Look there is nothing new there. But now it’s really really important because AI assistants are more likely to surface our information accurately if it’s easier for them to parse.
Experts like Karen McGrane have long discussed the semantic web. About creating content that serves both humans and machines effectively. With innovative minds like those at OpenAI and IO working on new ways to access information, it feels like the right time to ramp up and get a lot better at it. We want our organisation to be part of those future conversations.
AI as a content partner
By 2028, AI might handle much of my current content work. Things I do like content auditing, organising and information architecture, suggesting improvements, finding gaps and opportunities. Why am I still needed? I will be an essential part of:
Editorial judgment and storytelling
Cultural sensitivity (especially for te reo Māori and New Zealand contexts)
Quality standards and governance
Building relationships that ensure AI has access to accurate information
I see it as AI handling the heavy lifting while we puny humans provide the wisdom, cultural understanding, and strategic direction.
I'm not sure exactly what Jony Ive and OpenAI are creating, but I’m damn sure they’re not the only ones creating something! When future AI assistants field questions about my university, I want them to represent us well. Sharing our trusted story with the people we're here to help.
