Is AI getting too cheap to ignore? Wednesday AI Update for Marketers

AI is Getting Cheaper – The Race to the Bottom

Chinese tech giant Baidu has just launched two new AI models, Ernie 4.5 and another unnamed model, priced at just 1% of OpenAI’s GPT-4.5 cost and half the price of DeepSeek’s R1. Baidu claims their models even outperform GPT-4.5 in several benchmarks.

For marketers, this means AI is becoming increasingly affordable and accessible. According to Benjamin Ard, this signals a major shift: "It's going to be so easy. Everyone is going to be using AI. It is not going to be a competitive advantage. The only advantage is how well you use AI."

What This Means for Marketers:

AI tools are now widely available at minimal costs.
The true differentiator isn’t access to AI, but how effectively you integrate it into your strategy.
The barriers of cost and privacy concerns are rapidly diminishing—if you're not using AI now, you’re already behind.

AI Agents Are Going Mainstream

Automation is no longer a futuristic dream—it’s happening now. AI agents are becoming an essential part of digital marketing, with companies like Zapier and n8n pioneering the way. ChatGPT has also introduced its version of AI agents, automating complex tasks marketers used to handle manually.

"Think about everything you do in ChatGPT or Claude and imagine all of it automated," says Ard. "We are getting closer and closer to the point where entire sections of what we do on a daily basis as marketers are going to be outsourced to a custom-built AI agent."

How Marketers Should Prepare:

Identify repetitive, time-consuming tasks that AI agents can take over.
Experiment with AI integrations to optimize workflows.
Stay ahead of the curve by ensuring at least one team member is actively testing AI agent capabilities.

NVIDIA’s Push for Hallucination-Free AI

A major challenge for marketers using AI has been hallucinations—AI generating incorrect or misleading information. NVIDIA is working on solutions to integrate AI connectors, like ChatGPT, into applications with hallucination-free large language models.

But as Ard warns, "Regardless of what a company says, if an AI tool claims to be hallucination-free, always do your homework and research." AI is improving, but there’s no guarantee that mistakes won’t happen.

What You Should Do:

Always verify AI-generated content before publishing.
Use AI as a creative assistant, not a replacement for critical thinking.
Test AI-powered tools rigorously before integrating them into marketing campaigns.

Google’s Gemini and the Future of Deep Research

Google has expanded access to its Gemini AI platform, allowing more users to experiment with its deep research features. Unlike simple AI responses, Gemini’s deep research function enables more structured insights, improving accuracy and credibility.

"Deep research is something pretty awesome," says Ard. "The more factual and better our content is, the more people will appreciate it and use it."

How Marketers Can Leverage This:

Use Gemini for advanced content research and fact-checking.
Enhance AI-generated outputs with structured, data-driven insights.
Incorporate these tools to create higher-quality, better-sourced marketing materials.

The Takeaway: Marketers Must Adapt—Now

The AI revolution in marketing isn’t coming—it’s already here. Costs are dropping, AI agents are automating workflows, and technology is evolving at a rapid pace. The marketers who succeed won’t be the ones who have AI, but those who use it strategically.

If you haven’t started learning AI, the time is now. As Ard puts it, "Now's the time for every marketer. If you're not already learning AI, learn it today and keep moving forward."

Next Steps:

✅ Start experimenting with AI tools to optimize marketing workflows.✅ Implement AI agents to automate repetitive tasks.✅ Use deep research features like Gemini for fact-based, credible content.✅ Stay skeptical—always verify AI-generated insights before acting on them.

The AI marketing revolution is here. Are you ready?

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Podcast Guest

Benjamin Ard

Benjamin Ard is the Co-founder and CEO of Masset, a company that makes sales enablement both easy to use and available to the entire company. He is also the host of the Content Amplified podcast, which has produced over 260 episodes dedicated to helping businesses maximize their content strategies. With a deep passion for storytelling, Benjamin leverages his expertise in marketing and technology to help organizations create impactful, engaging content.

Beyond his professional endeavors, Benjamin is a devoted husband and father of four boys. He is a strong advocate for empowering teams through better communication and sales enablement, and he takes pride in supporting businesses and professionals in their growth journeys.

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Transcript

(Transcript is AI generated, we apologize for any errors)

Benjamin Ard (00:02.423)
I pause?

Benjamin Ard (00:14.146)
This is AI news that every marketer needs to know.

This is the AI news that every marketer needs to know from the last seven days.

Benjamin Ard (00:33.538)
This is the AI news that every marketer needs to know from the last seven days.

Benjamin Ard (00:43.022)
Baidu launches a low-cost GPT 4.5 rival.

Benjamin Ard (00:51.694)
Thanks

Benjamin Ard (01:05.88)
Bye, new launches.

Chinese tech giant Baidu has released two new AI models, Ernie 4.5 and another model, but they are priced at just 1 % of OpenAI's GPT 4.5 cost and half the cost of DeepSeek's R1.

Baidu is claiming that this model outperforms GPT 4.5 in several benchmarks.

Bydo is even claiming that this outperforms, Bydo is even claiming that their models outperform GPT 4.5 in several benchmarks. Marketers, AI is getting cheap. It's a race to the bottom.

It's going to be so easy. Everyone is going to be using AI. It is not going to be a competitive advantage. The only advantage is how well you use AI, if you use AI. Cost limitations, privacy limitations, everything. It's racing towards the bottom. Everyone's going to have access to the world's best models.

Benjamin Ard (02:40.152)
for costs that are so low that it doesn't even matter anymore. Cost is not a factor when it comes to AI as a marketer. So if you've been waiting for an opportunity to learn AI, now's the time because there is no turning back. It's just getting cheaper. Now's the time for every marketer. If you're not already learning AI, learn it today and keep moving forward. Learn it today.

Benjamin Ard (03:30.616)
The next piece of news is that AI agents are going mainstream. ChatGPT has already shown one of their, ChatGPT has already shown their version of an AI agent. You have companies like n8n and Zapier and different groups who are really kind of on the front starting edge of AI agents. Think about everything that you do in ChatGPT or Claude and imagine all of it automated.

and making decisions for you and your business. We are getting closer and closer to the point where entire sections of what we do on a daily basis as marketers is going to be outsourced to a custom built AI agent that you are making on your own team, integrated with your own systems, doing exactly what you need it to do.

Although it's pretty cutting edge, although it's pretty new technology, you should probably have someone on your team experimenting with AI agents and see how you can figure out where the shortcomings are and where you can take advantage because this is the area of AI that's getting really popular really quick. It's something we're taking note of. It's getting really popular really quick. This is something that most people need.

This is something you're going to have to figure out sooner or later. You might as well be on the cutting edge of it.

Benjamin Ard (05:06.582)
Alright.

Benjamin Ard (05:11.822)
NVIDIA is developing tools for integrating chat GPT and other AI connectors.

Benjamin Ard (05:25.312)
NVIDIA is developing tools for integrating chat GPT and other AI connectors directly into applications, emphasizing hallucination-free large language models for reliable outputs.

Marketers have been afraid of hallucinations and it has held some back from being able to use a tool. It looks like there's some cutting edge technology to eliminate hallucinations. And the results are going to be even smarter. Marketers, regardless of what a company says, if a, if an LLM or any AI tool is hallucination free, no matter what a company is claiming, if something is hallucination free,

Always do your homework and always do your research to make sure that you're not always do your homework and research. You can't trust that something is never going to hallucinate. It's just the nature of AI at this point in time.

Benjamin Ard (07:23.16)
Gemini. Google's Gemini is letting anyone try out their deep platform. Google Gemini is letting anyone try out the platform's deep research feature, not just paid subscribers. Deep research is a fundamental... Deep research is something pretty awesome. Deep research is another tools like ChatGBT.

But it allows you to study, understand format and gain insights that a normal AI prompt just normally can't do. So it's a technology worth exploring if you're especially in an area where you need to. It's an area worth exploring. No matter what the more factual and better our content is, the more people will appreciate it and use it. And these deep research tools are helping us make better.

more factual, compelling, sourced and cited materials.

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