AI shopping assistants are boosting discovery and personalization, but trust issues and fulfillment challenges could limit their impact on channel migration.

Gen Zers and millennials will lead the charge in shopping with AI agents, but not without guardrails. Nearly half of Gen Zers (47%) and millennials (48%) say they are at least somewhat likely to let AI agents buy things for them, per a YouGov survey. Among likely AI agent adopters, 53% would require approval before letting AI buy anything under $100. For brands, deploying responsible AI agents is key. That means constantly monitoring customer-facing products for hallucinations, keeping humans in the loop to establish accountability and accuracy, and ensuring customers are getting the experiences they want.

B2B digital ad spending is rising as marketers lean into formats that build visibility and engagement. Video and display are growing faster than search, reshaping strategies to reach decision-makers.

LinkedIn debuted several new features for ad automation targeting small- and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) as it looks to expand its advertiser base beyond large brands. The update reduces barriers to professional-grade ad campaigns by offering automation and AI-driven support that previously demanded larger budgets or in-house expertise.

OpenAI is working on a TikTok-style app built on its Sora 2 video model—an AI-only feed where every clip is generated, not filmed, per Wired. Meta, meanwhile, is rolling out Vibes, a new short-form video feed in its Meta AI app and Meta.ai, designed for remixing, personalization, and sharing across Instagram and Facebook. For brands, the upside is experimentation, while the risk is durability. Until user habits adjust to new content feeds, marketers should treat both as pilot channels—take advantage of launch buzz, but keep spend flexible in case novelty fades.

Nearly all (97%) of Goldman Sachs’ Gen Z interns use AI in their personal lives, up from 86% in 2023, per the company’s annual intern survey. For a majority of generative AI (genAI) use cases, Gen Zers prefer that real people stay involved, but there are exceptions. More than a third (38%) of respondents said they were good with shopping AI results with no human oversight. For brands, this might mean leaning into Gen Z to train on genAI skills, understand where to get the most value out of AI, and what AI pilots can be cut or built on to improve efficiency.

Digital markets are being reshaped by genAI search and shifting platform and monetization dynamics. These 10 charts reveal the forces that will define 2025 and beyond.

Consumers are increasingly receptive toward digital ads and generative AI in marketing, per Kantar’s Media Reactions 2025 report. While consumers increasingly see digital ads as the norm, advertisers must work harder than ever to cut through the clutter and deliver relevant, memorable experiences that drive action.

Generative AI (genAI) has been pitched as a path to efficiency. Instead, 95% of enterprise pilots have failed to show measurable impact, per MIT Media Lab. AI adoption among larger firms peaked at 13% to 14% in early 2024 and dropped to about 9% by mid-2025—a nearly 30% YoY drop. AI adoption fluctuations serve as a warning. CMOs face a choice—either invest in structured AI training and workflow integration or risk eroding brand credibility and trust. Training employees to know when not to use AI will be as important as teaching them how to use it.

Now that most financial institutions (FIs) have deployed or piloted genAI, some recurring lessons have emerged. Implementing these lessons learned can help FIs prevent massive losses from failed pilots. Governance helps set expectations, parameters, and metrics before the bulk of the money is spent—helping prevent project failure and disappointment. 79% would prioritize governance if starting AI implementation over. Seventy-one percent of respondents would have engaged stakeholders earlier, involving them in planning meetings. This would help FIs ensure alignment and reduce delays that could arise from misunderstandings and disagreements partway through.\

Brands and agencies are embracing generative AI (genAI) to create highly localized and personalized campaigns at scale. At a recent Automattic event, marketing leaders highlighted how new technology makes previously cost-prohibitive efforts feasible. The advertising industry has shifted from fear to fluency—recognizing that AI fills gaps and scales output but that people decide what resonates. While agencies two years ago feared AI would displace creative jobs, today, they see human craft as the element that gives AI-generated work meaning. For marketers, the strategy is to invest in AI tools but prioritize upskilling teams to direct them.

Anthropic’s Claude AI is taking on competitors in a multimillion dollar ad campaign. The “Keep Thinking” campaign positions Claude as “the AI for problem solvers” and marks Anthropic’s first foray into brand marketing. The campaign is a necessary start to help Claude gain market share and boost its comparatively small user base, but it’s only the first step in a long journey ahead for Anthropic.

Almost all US adults (95%) have heard of AI, and 88% are at least somewhat concerned about it, per a Pew Research Center survey. Most (73%) are willing to let AI help them in daily tasks at least a little, per the survey. Three-quarters (77%) of adults ages 19 to 29 would agree to AI assistance. Although US consumers are concerned about AI, they’re willing to use it in some scenarios. AI that simplifies their lives without taking away their creativity will fare the best. Personalization, product recommendations, and search assistants will help consumers speed up their shopping journeys.

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.

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.

AI and agents will drive 21% of holiday orders globally, an estimated $263 billion in sales, per Salesforce’s holiday forecast. GenAI is both a disrupter and a gamechanger for retailers. To avoid being left behind, retailers need their own AI tools—either built in-house or with partners like Microsoft, Google, and OpenAI—to ensure they can deliver personalized, relevant recommendations and shopping experiences. At the same time, companies need to optimize every piece of content on their sites—from product listings to reviews to FAQs—for discoverability on AI search engines to avoid falling into oblivion.

The $106 trillion Great Wealth Transfer is creating new investors who bypass legacy advisors and favor digital tools and alternative assets. To stay competitive, banks must innovate—or risk ceding the future of wealth to nimbler fintechs and robo-advisors.

Black Friday kicks off the holiday season, and standing out takes more than sharp promotions. Marketers are turning to AI-driven personalization and performance tools to deliver faster, smarter experiences that convert.

Hispanic audiences are leading shifts in digital behaviors, streaming at high levels, adopting AI tools, and using creator apps that position them as both content producers and consumers. That demographic is embracing streaming more than the general population, per Nielsen’s Curating the Narrative report, with a cord-cutting rate about 35% higher. Hispanic audiences aren’t just passive consumers—they’re actively crafting and customizing their media experiences and leading early tech adoption. Brands should diversify media outreach—instead of leaning solely on traditional TV or linear content—to avoid missing engagement opportunities.

Our third annual Path to Purchase survey looks at how consumers discover, research, and ultimately purchase new brands and products.