Despite the rise of artificial intelligence in advertising, marketers worldwide still overwhelmingly rely on user-generated content (UGC) for engaging audiences, per a new study from PhotoShelter. Authenticity is the clear differentiator that makes ads connect with audiences, necessitating continued reliance on UGC.
As brands broadly step away from diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) commitments, consumers are looking to those who stay the course. While the pressure to scale back DEI efforts is real, the backlash from doing so can be significant.
Amazon used its annual seller conference, Amazon Accelerate, to unveil new tools and fulfillment capabilities that underscore its ambition to serve as the infrastructure of retail. The retailer is weaving together AI-driven tools, externalized logistics, and its vast seller network to extend its influence beyond its own marketplace. As Amazon extends its reach through MCF and Buy with Prime, it increasingly sees merchants and marketplaces not as rivals but as collaborators.
Nvidia is putting $5 billion into Intel, buying common stock at $23.28 per share for a 4%–5% stake. The two companies plan to co-develop custom PC and data center chips that blend Nvidia’s GPUs with Intel’s x86 CPUs and manufacturing muscle, per ABC News. For Intel, it’s a last chance to remain relevant in advanced computing. For Nvidia, it’s a strategic hedge—ensuring supply resilience and expanding influence over x86 chip design. The partnership will reshape the semiconductor industry and strengthen US tech leadership.
Marketers agree creative drives results, but many still struggle to define and scale it. Taylor Stewart, global head of retail media engagement at TripleLift, joins EMARKETER’s Arielle Feger to discuss how brands are closing the creative gap by using AI, testing roadmaps, and full-funnel strategies to turn ideas into measurable performance.
Meta is back in licensing talks with publishers like Axel Springer, Fox Corp., and News Corp., marking a reversal from its 2022 exit from news payments. The move comes as AI tools like Google’s AI Overviews cut publisher traffic, pushing outlets to secure compensation. Meanwhile, Reddit is pressing Google for richer terms, citing undervaluation of its human-authored content under existing $203 million contracts. For publishers, licensing deals provide revenue but risk cementing dependence on platforms that control discovery. For marketers, the shift highlights how AI-driven answers—rather than search results or feeds—are becoming the gateways to consumer attention and content discovery.
Nvidia is putting $5 billion into Intel, buying common stock at $23.28 per share for a 4%–5% stake. The two companies plan to co-develop custom PC and data center chips that blend Nvidia’s GPUs with Intel’s x86 CPUs and manufacturing muscle, per ABC News. For Intel, it’s a last chance to remain relevant in advanced computing. For Nvidia, it’s a strategic hedge—ensuring supply resilience and expanding influence over x86 chip design. The partnership will reshape the semiconductor industry and strengthen US tech leadership.
Amazon sellers using sponsored product ads now have access to Amazon’s Marketing Cloud clean room. Amazon’s expanded access to its clean room solution will enable SMBs to measure and optimize campaigns with the same sophistication as enterprise advertisers while allowing the ad giant to accelerate its push against larger rivals.
Meta is making its boldest play yet for wearable computing, unveiling $799 Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses with a lens display, onboard Meta AI, and a neural wristband for gesture control. Meta won’t stand alone in the field for long if it can prove smart glasses are more than a novelty. Apple, Google, Amazon, and Snap will follow, each layering AR into their ecosystems and competing to define the next advertising frontier. For brands, this means new hooks—ads woven into navigation, translation, and real-world interactions—that feel less like interruptions and more like an extension of everyday life.
As AI fundamentally changes how consumers find products and services, experts continue to explore what marketers must do to adapt. "The most surprising thing, the most pressing thing about AI adoption isn't just that people are starting to use it. It's that they're trusting it, it's that they're using it within their shopping journeys," said EMARKETER analyst Nate Elliott during last week's Future of Digital Summit.
The vast majority (89%) of US adults use generative AI (genAI), per a Centerfield GenAI Consumer Survey commissioned by Search Engine Land. But not everyone uses it the same way. Eighty-seven percent read AI summaries in search results, and the same percentage have used AI for shopping, but only 41% click on a source link after reading a summary. Training and education are top next steps. Keyword research will become less important as competitor analysis ramps up. SEO/GEO specialists need to understand specific user needs and the companies surfacing in AI results to adopt their methods.
Amazon Ads has unveiled an agentic AI tool inside Creative Studio, designed to serve as a real-time creative partner for advertisers. Through a conversational interface, brands can brainstorm, storyboard, and generate professional-quality video and display ads in hours instead of weeks—at no extra cost. Powered by AWS models like Amazon Nova and Anthropic Claude, the system combines retail insights with automation to democratize high-quality ad creation once limited to big-budget brands. Early testers, including Nestlé Health Science, praised its ability to surface new insights and scale campaigns, underscoring how platforms like Amazon, Meta, and Google are redefining advertising.
YouTube is piloting Edit with AI, a remixing tool that turns raw smartphone footage into draft Shorts. The system automatically selects highlights, adds transitions, suggests music, and even generates voiceovers in English or Hindi. The goal is to give creators a starting point for Shorts rather than making them edit from scratch, per TechCrunch. For advertisers, this creates a twofold opportunity: more ad inventory and a larger, more engaged audience than on TikTok. Marketers should prioritize Shorts in their media mix now. Test campaigns to remain competitive and build creative strategies that balance AI efficiency with human authenticity.
One in three Gen Zers and one in four millennials prefer to go to generative AI (genAI) platforms—not search, social media, or influencers—when deciding what to buy, per a new Future Commerce survey of consumers from Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and the US. Trust in AI is a key driver, with these users viewing platforms as trusted companions, not just tools. Brands that design campaigns to build discovery and trust within AI-driven journeys will amplify their reach and relevance as AI-assisted shopping scales.
Amazon has unveiled an upgraded AI-powered Seller Assistant designed to streamline operations for third-party sellers by automating product listings, ad creation, inventory management, and strategic planning. The tool, showcased at the Amazon Accelerate conference, shifts sellers from handling every task themselves to collaborating with an intelligent assistant that acts like an expert team. Already embraced by over 1.3 million sellers, it has boosted ad performance and improved listing quality, leading to higher conversions. Our view is that by lowering barriers and equipping even small businesses with sophisticated tools, Amazon strengthens its marketplace efficiency while enhancing customer choice and shopping experiences.
Beauty companies are rapidly diversifying beyond traditional sales channels to adapt to changing consumer behaviors and seize opportunities made possible by ecommerce, social platforms, and digital tools. This push is designed to forge closer, more direct connections with shoppers. Selling through multiple channels is no longer a choice in beauty. Consumers now shop across apps, websites, social media and stores, and brands that don’t meet them where they are will lose out. Still, distribution alone won’t set brands apart. Beauty companies that win will offer technology like AR try-ons, use their physical stores as hubs where people can gather for makeup classes and to sample products, and sell through external retailers while also beefing up their own direct channels.
Snap introduced Snap OS 2.0, the software powering its AR Spectacles on Monday. The update brings a native browser with WebXR support with a customizable home screen and widgets, bookmarks, and multitasking features like window resizing. For marketers, the release signals that vertical, immersive formats will move off the phone and into ambient spaces. Brands should test AR-ready creative now, as early adopters of wearable platforms will shape consumer expectations when Snap, Meta, and Amazon push glasses into the mainstream.
In this podcast episode, we discuss the backlash to Delta’s decision to use personalized AI pricing, how consumers feel about dynamic pricing, and if there is a way for retailers to implement it without losing shopper trust. Listen to the discussion with Analyst and guest host, Rachel Wolff, Vice President of Content, Suzy Davidkhanian, and Senior Analyst, Zak Stambor.