Microsoft turns store tech into service engines: Project Solara swaps apps for AI agents, recasting devices as task-driven tools for retail and beyond.
Among ages 12 to 21, AI use for mental health rose 40% year over year, bringing chatbots further into their mainstream coping habits.
InMobi and Scope3 have launched a sell-side AI agent, unlocking autonomous media buying across the mobile ecosystem.
Gen X chatbot users (69%) outpaced both Gen Z (65%) and millennials (65%) in ramping AI chatbot use over the past 12-18 months, second only to Gen Alpha's 80%, according to a February 2026 Gracenote study.
As AI-powered search tools become integral to product discovery, retailers face a measurement challenge. Consumers are still researching products, but increasingly bypassing the clicks marketers traditionally relied on. That shift is making it harder for brands to determine which content, publishers, and partners are actually influencing sales.
Google AI Overviews remake the funnel: As post-purchase queries top 94%, brands should treat help docs as prime search real estate.
Walmart turns store data into AI fuel: In-store behavior and searches could train Sparky, helping Walmart avoid becoming a back-end for AI platforms.
Google adds AI opt-out: UK regulators prompt a toggle letting publishers skip AI Overviews without hurting non-AI search rankings.
AI platforms’ contrasting approaches prompt new bank strategies.
Ad-heavy social feeds reward subtlety: Front-loading content with brand messaging hurts favorability, while narrative-led posts keep viewers watching.
Doctors review AI advice that patients bring to appointments, but still have concerns about its accuracy. Healthcare marketers have room to help guide responsible genAI use.
Gen Z uses LLMs to find banks more than other generations do.
Amazon’s ad machine isn’t seamless: Twitch gets outside sales help, denting the Big Tech giant’s pitch as a unified media buy.
Consent as a revenue lever: Opted-in users deliver richer ad returns, and apps that treat consent strategically can nearly double profits.
Some 80% of US adults are concerned about AI and just 35% are excited about it, a 2.3-to-1 ratio that runs counter to industry enthusiasm, according to a March 2026 Quinnipiac University survey conducted by Dynata.
In today’s podcast episode, we discuss how significant Google’s new “Intelligent Search Box” is, whether Google has already dethroned OpenAI as the leader in consumer AI, and the key takeaways from the Musk–Altman trial. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with Analyst Jacob Bourne and Principal Analyst Nate Elliott. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or watch on YouTube or Spotify.
Travel brands can stand out with smarter AI: Pairing personalization, transparency, and oversight could turn cautious users into loyalists.
Meta builds out its hardware stack: Pendants, new smart glasses, and a developer platform could weave Meta AI into daily life and open fresh user access.