By the end of 2026, generative AI could rival paid ads as a source of website traffic. SensorTower predicts that more than half of top websites will get more traffic from genAI than from paid sources by the end of next year. As AI assistants increasingly answer queries with sourced links, marketers need to optimize for AI-driven discovery, not just search algorithms and paid media. Add FAQs, clean metadata on products, and concise explanations on sites that models can easily read and cite, and frequently update content to maximize the likelihood of surfacing in genAI results.
Use cases for Perplexity’s Comet AI browser and assistant mark how agentic AI’s influence is happening upstream, within cognitive tasks and away from the point of purchase. Personal use makes up about 55% of total agentic queries within Comet, followed by professional (30%) and educational (16%), per a deep dive on the browser from Harvard Research and Perplexity. The biggest entry for brands isn’t only being shoppable inside AI systems, but becoming embedded in users’ daily workflows. Brands that surface in productivity-driven queries could shape preferences and promote awareness before consumers enter a shopping mindset.
OpenAI, now 10 years old, is expected to accrue about $143 billion in negative cumulative free cash flow between 2024 and 2029 before it starts turning a profit, per Deutsche Bank. “No startup in history has operated with losses on anything approaching this scale. We are firmly in uncharted territory,” Deutsche Bank analysts wrote. This could foreshadow a correction in the AI sector if revenues keep lagging behind escalating spending. The next few years may reward those who find sustainable monetization models, not necessarily those who build the most powerful tools.
Uber is offering customer data to marketers to enhance ad targeting and placement capabilities. The data is available through Uber Intelligence, its new insights platform powered by LiveRamp. Advertisers can get information on how people “move, dine, travel, and order” to build a better understanding of customers’ behavior patterns, the company said in a blog post. Marketers should experiment with Uber Intelligence’s insights to create bespoke ad strategies that segment audiences, identify relevant customers, and personalize targeting.
Podcast TV attention metrics (AUs) held steady from Q3 2024 to Q3 2025 even as streaming audio AUs declined, per our industry KPI data provided by Adelaide. Podcasts held a 6 to 8 point advantage over streaming audio in every quarter, fluctuating slightly between 47.4 and 50.1 AUs. Streaming audio AUs dipped from 44.1 to 41.8, a 5.2% YoY decline. Podcasts offer a unique combination of engagement and competitive CPMs. Use the format to capitalize on high-attention placements, trust in ads and host recommendations, and mid-funnel potential.
Mobile advertising remains concentrated around a few dominant platforms, but challengers are gaining ground, per AppsFlyer’s Performance Index. Worldwide, Google Ads and Apple Ads remain No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, but AppLovin, Mintegral, Meta Ads, and TikTok for Business are climbing the rankings. As industries push further into mobile ads, competition is intensifying around creative efficiency, privacy-safe measurement, and cross-platform diversification. Marketers should prioritize mobile-first creative, test emerging networks early, and diversify across iOS and Android to hedge volatility.
Personalized AI is no longer a nice-to-have feature—it’s a driver of adoption that inspires trust in the efficacy of AI solutions. Nine in 10 Gen Z and millennial leaders would be more inclined to use AI at work if responses were personalized, per a survey from The Harris Poll commissioned by Google Workspace. CMOs should ensure AI tools on deck can learn style and brand voice and deliver outputs that are aligned with employees’ goals and tasks. Encourage employees to experiment with custom GPTs and Google Gems to develop role-specific tools that can follow workflows across the organization.
Meta acquired AI wearables startup Limitless as part of an effort to accelerate development of AI-enabled devices. Limitless’ main product is an AI-powered pendant that records, transcribes, and summarizes users’ conversations. Acquiring Limitless is likely less about the pendant itself and more about getting access to the startup’s technology. Meta could integrate Limitless’ Rewind software—which can compress over 10 GB of data into a 3 MB file, per 9to5Mac—into its glasses to maximize storage. The winners in the AI wearables category could be those that balance hardware innovation with the privacy challenges that come with always-on intelligence.
On today’s podcast episode, we discuss how AI has already changed search, whether Google is in a better or worse position today because of AI’s rapid rise, and how AI will transform search in the next 6–12 months. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with Principal Analyst Nate Elliot and Analyst Jacob Bourne. Listen everywhere, and watch on YouTube and Spotify.
TikTok is rolling out an optional “Nearby” feed that lets users share their locations and helps them find things like a new restaurant close to home or discover places to explore while on a trip, per TikTok. The feature is available now in the UK, France, Italy, and Germany for users 18 and older. The Nearby feed opens up opportunities for brands to attract new customers through social discovery, without relying solely on “For You” feeds or ad placements. Brands could see increased organic exposure—especially from users engaging with search-friendly content.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google Cloud partnered to create a multicloud networking service that lets enterprises spin up private, high-speed links between their platforms in minutes, not weeks, per Android Central. The service will make cross-cloud traffic less vulnerable to outages, which break attribution chains, stall ad delivery, disrupt retail checkouts, and skew measurement windows, affecting brand profits. As cloud giants reinforce the internet’s plumbing, brands should match that urgency by auditing single-cloud dependencies, stress-testing campaign flows, and building failover paths for commerce and attribution.
Medicare plans to pay health tech companies for wearables, apps, and telehealth technology that improves patient outcomes via a new pilot program aimed to begin in July 2026. The government’s willingness to pay for digital health solutions signals a meaningful shift toward making these tools part of standard clinical care. But health tech makers need to prove their tools improve patient outcomes to make it into the pilot program.
This year’s Spotify Wrapped went out with fewer hitches than its underwhelming 2024 edition, but it now competes directly with recap offerings emerging from rivals like Amazon, YouTube, and Apple. Wrapped-style roundups have become cultural elements—shareable, identity-driven moments that make passive listening a form of social currency. As competitors replicate the format, the concept is shifting from a Spotify differentiator to a baseline expectation. Other brands could enter the space by creating their own Wrapped summaries, turning purchase behavior, sponsored influencer posts, or product usage into shareable moments.
Meta is making a strategic pivot. In a move that indicates a new era of fiscal discipline, the company plans deep cuts to its metaverse unit following a costly, multiyear investment, per Bloomberg. Meta is also bolstering its creative leadership by hiring Apple’s former head of UI design, Alan Dye, to lead a new creative studio merging design, fashion, and technology. Shifting from moonshots to market-ready polish opens the door to better-designed surfaces, more reliable performance, and ad products that feel more premium, integrated, and worth testing early.
TikTok users’ engagement-driven discovery habits offer a unique benefit to social marketers. Eighty-three percent of weekly US users ages 13 and older have taken some type of action after seeing an ad on TikTok, per Edison Research’s The Infinite Scroll report, and 64% have used TikTok to discover new music, 47% to find new podcasts, and 30% to discover audiobooks. To capitalize on TikTok users’ discovery mindset, broad reach, and positive UX, focus on building campaigns that tap into trending sounds, videos, and behaviors to meet users during moments of intentional discovery.
Microsoft is lowering its expectations for enterprise AI revenues as customer spending proves more cautious than anticipated. It reduced its sales quotas for AI software after many reps missed sales growth goals for the fiscal year that ended in June, per The Information. The problem could stem from clients’ challenges in measuring ROI from AI initiatives and determining savings from automating tasks. Competition to prove product value is intensifying, and Microsoft’s softening expectations for sales suggest that AI isn’t a guaranteed revenue engine. This lowered forecast marks both cautious customer spending and a shift toward value-driven AI adoption over experimentation.
Svedka is planning an AI-forward ad for the 2026 Super Bowl as brands continue to test consumers’ appetite for AI-powered ad experiences. The alcohol company will use AI to portray its previously retired “Fembot” robot mascot, which the brand dropped 12 years ago, per The Wall Street Journal. Svedka’s and Coca-Cola’s AI-powered campaigns mark how quickly major brands are moving into AI despite mixed reactions to earlier tests. A Super Bowl ad is a high-stakes, high-cost, and high-scrutiny moment, and using AI in that space suggests brands believe consumer sentiment is turning in their favor.
A group of Swedish publishers is suing Meta over scam ads on Facebook. The publishing group, Utgivarna, accused Meta of fraud, complicity in fraud, and preparation for fraud due to Facebook ads that impersonate Swedish journalists and media brands. In addition, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) are investigating Meta’s role in financial scams. We’re likely to see more lawsuits from other publishers who are seeking to protect their brand, name, and ability to earn trust from new consumers.
A leaked memo from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman revealed his “code red” orders to staff to prioritize ChatGPT improvements in the face of mounting competition. OpenAI is fast-tracking GPT-5.1 upgrades at the cost of new initiatives, including an advertising platform, its AI wearable, and an AI shopping agent. Its rush to refocus on model quality could improve user interactions and boost engagement while building loyalty. Brands should follow developments from ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, and others to track consumer preferences on AI use to optimize content for specific markets.
Two-thirds (65%) of marketing and advertising decision-makers worldwide worry about the suitability of their ad placements on social platforms, per DoubleVerify’s 2025 Global Insights report. Nearly half (46%) say their top challenge in social marketing is simply reaching target audiences. Brands should focus on specific consumer segments—such as hobby-based micro-communities or high-intent shoppers—and use AI to quickly adapt content for each group. To address brand safety, brands should use contextual targeting tools to place ads in suitable environments and track how changing algorithm controls on social media platforms affect visibility.