Very interesting article BJ.

I do not think they could replace an experienced Paid Search Marketer. Perhaps they are not looking at competiting against them.  More at the middle to lower teir, where experience is generally not found.  At least, that is where there is still a big gap for paid search.

I have used a number of bid-management tools in the past (atlas search, yahoo search marketing console and most recently marin software) and find that they are decent for long tail terms, but the key terms that drive 90% of conversions need to be looked at by a person and not auto managed by a program.  I'd be interested in trying out a BETA when they head to the US market. Most bid management tools want 5-10% of spend.

http://marinsoftware.com/

here is the link to the site.

good product....lots of potential.

I agree with Dan...for long-tail search automated campaigns can save you a lot of work and enhance ROI, but setting up the gridlines of a campaign and doing a thorough analysis is best done by trained professionals...(don't just look at ctr's...it's the actual conversion that makes the money!). Still..this is interesting stuff!