Consumers are integrating AI into everyday health searches as tools grow more conversational, even though output reliability remains uneven. The balance of speed, accuracy, and trust will shape how people use AI for information and care.

The Omnicom-IPG merger has cleared its last obstacle after the European Commission—the last market whose approval was needed—officially granted greenlit the acquisition. Omnicom and IPG overcoming the final barrier to merge offers the potential for more comprehensive and efficient services—but also introduces new risks related to talent retention and creative diversity.

Global ad spending has steadied after a turbulent year, setting the stage for modest acceleration in 2026. Digital is still the main engine, but traditional media’s rebound will add lift as markets stabilize.

The Omnicom-IPG merger is expected to close in November, according to Omnicom CEO John Wren in the company’s Q3 earnings release, which showed organic revenue growth of 2.6% YoY. The merger seems to have crossed its last hurdle—and the new Omnicom-IPG entity stands to benefit marketers in many ways, though brands must keep some considerations in mind.

Global ad spending is now expected to rise 7.4% to reach $1.17 trillion in 2025, driven by social media and digital investments, per WARC’s updated forecast. Advertisers aren’t slashing budgets, but instead rethinking spending as economic uncertainty accelerates the shift to digital channels, performance campaigns, and newer formats like influencer marketing.

AI search startup Perplexity shocked the industry with an unsolicited $34.5 billion all-cash bid for Google’s Chrome browser—despite Chrome not being for sale. The offer comes as a US court weighs whether Google must divest Chrome after an antitrust ruling, and positions Perplexity as a ready operator if a spin-off is ordered. Even if the deal never closes, the move amplifies Perplexity’s profile, pressures Google, and underscores the growing importance of distribution channels alongside model quality in AI competition.

Alphabet posted strong Q2 results, with Search ad revenue up 12% YoY and YouTube ad revenue climbing 13%. But analysts and advertisers are asking tougher questions as the company shifts toward AI-led formats like AI Overviews and Gemini. Google declined to provide clear data on ROI, clickthroughs, or user engagement, fueling concerns about monetization in a no-click world. Licensing costs for LLM training, brand safety, and competition from ChatGPT and Perplexity are all in focus. While YouTube continues to lead in streaming ad growth, the future of Google’s ad engine may hinge on transparency, AI accountability, and performance parity.

The news: In the wake of Google’s impressive earnings report, YouTube is getting more creative AI tools on YouTube Shorts for both creators and advertisers. YouTube added an image-to-video generative AI (genAI) tool to Shorts, which can turn a photo into a 6-second video, powered by Google’s Veo 2. It also introduced AI-powered tools that resize ads to fit Shorts’ format. Our take: These new tools could help YouTube outpace rivals by combining TikTok-style virality with Google’s deep AI infrastructure. Instead of recycling or repurposing long-form assets, marketers should push more budget to testing Shorts-first content. A/B testing with Shorts’ new AI resizing tool and audience-specific, unique content for mobile and CTV can help determine which content can be converted with AI for both platforms and which needs to be remade and retargeted.

A 90-day pause in tariffs added over $800 billion to the Magnificent Seven’s market cap, revealing just how damaging trade tensions had been for investor confidence.

Following Google’s second antitrust loss in under a year, Google is at a crossroads. The recent ruling that Google maintains an illegal monopoly on ad tech, combined with last year’s ruling of antitrust practices in online search, could reshape digital advertising.

A second federal judge has ruled that Google is a monopolist. This decision could have profound implications—depending on the remedies.

Amid dizzying policy unpredictability and a grab bag of unpleasant economic possibilities, precise ad spend forecasting is challenging. A scenarios-based approach can help clarify potential outcomes.

Google’s core businesses remain strong in Q1: Browser scrutiny and AI search shifts could test the foundation of its power

With an antitrust trial on the horizon, Google is slashing jobs and budgets to hedge against a forced Chrome divestment.

A nearly $1 trillion loss in a day signals market panic. Apple leads the fall, with ripple effects threatening AI growth, ad revenue, and cloud service pricing.

YouTube nears top spot in media revenue: The video giant is expected to overtake Disney (excluding parks), leading the global media industry.

Its biggest acquisition ever arms Google Cloud with elite multi-cloud security, setting it up to rival Azure and cash in on rising AI security demand.

Move to develop AI-powered humanoid robots raises concerns about overextension as the company juggles multiple ambitious projects.

Alphabet's cloud revenues disappoint, and capacity remains strained. Could hefty AI spending outpace its profits and potential cost savings?