From automated bidding tools offered by Google, Meta, and Amazon to emerging agentic AI systems designed for end-to-end campaign automation, AI is becoming embedded at every stage of the media buying process.

Agentic AI is expanding across ad platforms; CES reveals acceleration in autonomous planning and optimization, even as many marketers hesitate to trust full automation.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) suffered an outage that continued to disrupt services into Monday afternoon, degrading services across more than a thousand company websites, including Disney+, Reddit, McDonald’s, Facebook, United Airlines, Coinbase, Perplexity, and Canva, per The Verge. Businesses reliant on a single cloud vendor could face operational, legal, and reputational risks when outages hit public services, banks, and travel sectors simultaneously. Brands should audit vendor dependencies, test crisis communication flows, and prioritize multi-cloud failover readiness to safeguard user experience during inevitable disruptions.

More than half of US employees are using unapproved AI tools, with managers knowing but not caring—showing both security risks and organizational dysfunction. Of the 59% of employees who are using unapproved AI tools, 57% state that their direct manager is aware and OK with it, per Cybernews. Shadow AI use is a brand risk, not just an IT problem, and is often a workaround for poor internal communication or underinvestment in training. CMOs should lead efforts to define brand-safe tools, identify tools ideal for marketing tasks, and collaborate with IT to train employees on AI use.

As online financial crimes and fraud attempts surge, customers are wary of new brands and frequently abandon transactions over a lack of trust. Over two-thirds (69%) of US adults have abandoned an online transaction or sign-up process due to distrust, per Liquid Web’s 2025 The State of Digital Trust report. In today’s online marketplace, brands need to convince consumers not only of their product quality, but of their company’s legitimacy. Unlike industry-level reputation, which brands can’t control, CMOs can shape digital trust by focusing on transparency, clarity, and responsiveness across the shopping journey.

The news: Last year, we covered predicted growth in specialized insurance, including cybersecurity protection, because of the rising costs of data breaches. Allianz Life’s recent incident is further proof why such protection and precautionary measures are imperative. Why this matters: As a result of this data breach, Allianz Life faces financial and reputational costs that could affect its bottom line for years. This is a powerful reminder for the entire insurance industry to strengthen its cybersecurity defenses. Preventing attacks requires a proactive and comprehensive strategy beyond simple perimeter defenses.

The news: Nvidia is facing a new obstacle in its ability to sell chips to China—Chinese authorities are urging ByteDance, Alibaba, Tencent, and others to halt purchases of Nvidia hardware. This follows an agreement between President Donald Trump, Nvidia, and AMD that requires the two companies give the US government a 15% cut of Chinese chip revenues in exchange for permission to sell hardware there, per Bloomberg. Our take: ability to develop and deploy AI models for things like algorithm recommendations, content moderation, and generative AI (genAI) features. Marketers should diversify their AI-powered marketing tools to stay ahead if TikTok’s ad products and UX features develop more slowly.

Google fights AI-driven fraud with QR codes: As security threats grow, it’s ditching SMS codes in favor of QR authentication—another step toward passkeys and a future with fewer phishing vulnerabilities.

Apple risks consumer trust—and security breaches—if it gives the UK a back door to iCloud, but noncompliance invites legal action.

The top B2B marketing trends in 2025 include AI-driven insights, first-party data strategies, and balancing automation with authenticity. In this report, marketers and agencies can learn how to embrace these evolving strategies in order to boost engagement, trust, and ROI.

The tech giant warns of security breaches if it’s forced to open its platform, but Epic Games says Google is exaggerating the risks.

Amid restructuring efforts in 2024, US ISPs might have deprioritized security, potentially leading to heightened scrutiny and financial penalties if security failures are uncovered in wake of recent hacks

Patient care is being disrupted by cyberattacks: Cyberattacks aren’t just causing financial disruptions—they’re causing real patient harm, too.

Healthcare providers, payers increase IT investments: In light of the devastating fallout of the cyberattack on Change Healthcare, providers and payers alike are hedging against future cybersecurity threats.

In response to the CrowdStrike breach, Microsoft limits access to its Windows kernel, but vendors worry the new rules may stifle competition.

The deal will bring 7,000 new customers and critical disaster recovery tools to tackle growing cybersecurity threats.

While many consumers use mobile banking apps multiple times a week, some worry about fraud. Here are the security features they value most.