Adobe lifted its ad spend 30% to $1.4 billion to sell its AI story, signaling a future where marketers must sort real AI innovation from flashy features.

Adobe announced an expansion of its GenStudio at its Adobe MAX conference today, with updates including key AI innovations and new ad partner integrations. Advertising teams are faced with a landscape that increasingly relies on genAI for key processes once handled by humans.

Holding company WPP launched WPP Open Pro on Thursday, a self-serve AI tool piloted by Google and other clients that creates ad campaigns from start to finish in a push to attract small businesses. WPP’s newest move means marketers can continue to expect greater automation, cost savings, and a shift in agency relationships.

Hannah Elsakr, VP of new genAI business ventures at Adobe, framed AI-enabled tools not as a job disruptor but as “an exponential amplifier to our own humanity and creativity,” at LWT’s TechFutures 2025 in New York City this week. She outlined three frontiers reshaping brand storytelling: AI companions, personalized marketing at scale, and world-building around IP. Brands should prioritize scalable AI pilots, adopt commercially safe AI models, and lead internal change from the top. Provenance, licensing, and IP protection must be built in—not bolted on—if AI is to expand creativity without eroding trust.

A $40 billion funding round could boost its value, but mounting pressure from Big Tech and nimble rivals threatens to outpace its growth.

At $30 per minute, Veo 2 targets high-end business users, testing demand for costly AI-generated content.

The new AI model empowers marketers and hobbyists alike with streamlined video creation, pushing the company ahead in the booming genAI video market.

GenAI could help marketers more easily generate creative, bringing a host of benefits and cost savings. To fully take advantage of the technology, advertisers should understand the key use cases of genAI for creative—and their potential downsides.

GenAI for marketing is gaining momentum: IBM is the latest organization to tout its ability to transform marketing outcomes.