A ski trip planning session turned into a case study in how fast AI-driven discovery has taken hold, our chief content officer Vladimir Hanzlik told the audience at EMARKETER’s Future of Digital summit. Sitting around the table with friends and family, phones out on Gemini, his group booked resorts, hotels, and ski schools in a matter of hours. "What really struck me is that if you didn't turn up in those LLM recommendations, if you didn't show up in Claude or Gemini, there'll be literally zero chance that we will pick you," Hanzlik said, opening a conversation with VML's chief discoverability officer Heather Physioc on whether brands understand just how close that future already is.

AI is rewriting the shopping journey, and marketers have to follow it. That means watching how brands show up in large language models (LLMs), and how they engage customers arriving through AI-driven searches. This is the “intelligence revolution.” “The intelligence age is gaining steam,” said Stephanie Paterik, vice president of insights at EMARKETER, in her keynote presentation at this week's Future of Digital Summit. “One billion weekly ChatGPT users worldwide is a number that OpenAI hit just this month. Sixty-nine percent of CEOs around the world tell us that AI is changing their business, not just how they send an email or craft, you know, a report, but how they are fundamentally operating.”

AI is gaining influence over what consumers discover and consider long before it commands a meaningful share of the digital economy. But existing advantages in reaching consumers, earning trust, and driving transactions still matter.

For the modern B2B marketer, the AI revolution can often feel less like a streamlined future and more like a high-stakes construction experiment.

Apple's large health app user base and no added subscription for most new health features could give it an edge over rivals with similar offerings.

Automated promotions surface online discounts in local campaigns, helping retailers turn search into store visits.

Google dodges trust-busting ruling: A series of ad giant legal wins solidifies their dominance.

Alphabet's stock took a hit after the company announced plans to increase capital spending by $15 billion in 2024, bringing total CapEx to the $195 billion to $205 billion range. Investors expressed frustration over a lack of clarity on how AI spending would translate to revenue.

This benchmark covers how ad buyers can calibrate their digital ad spending and budget allocations against the market, and how publishers and solution providers can assess whether their ad revenues align with industry trends.​

This benchmark covers how ad buyers can calibrate their search ad spending and budget allocations against the market, and how publishers and solution providers can assess whether their ad revenues align with industry trends.​

This benchmark covers how ad buyers can calibrate their social media ad spending and budget allocations against the market, and how publishers and solution providers can assess whether their ad revenues align with industry trends.​

The global AI race looks different depending on how it’s measured. Emerging markets dominate among internet users, while developed markets lead across the broader population.

ChatGPT and Gemini have emerged as the clear leaders in the genAI platform race. Their advantage in awareness, usage, and paid adoption is widening the gap with rivals and shaping where marketers should focus their attention.

The latest data reveals where digital markets are headed as genAI adoption scales toward 3 billion users worldwide and new leaders emerge in advertising, retail media, and ecommerce.

PayPal’s fusion with Stripe could reorder the landscape of crypto, BNPL, agentic commerce and digital wallets.

Last November, we identified 11 trends we expected to shape the business landscape in 2026. Our Trends 2026 update reveals where expectations are holding, where surprises have emerged, and what businesses should watch through year-end.

Retailer-native AI assistants will drive 54.1% of US AI-driven retail ecommerce sales in 2026, keeping retailers ahead of general-purpose AI platforms through 2030, according to a July report from EMARKETER.

Zocdoc’s new Gemini integration lets users find and schedule care in one place, turning genAI into a patient acquisition channel.

Spending on social remains very strong, thanks largely to automation tools. And with social video continuing to pull in ad dollars, the platforms make a push for live video.

AI is transforming Latin America's digital economy, changing how consumers discover products, make purchases, and engage with businesses. Companies that adapt their commerce and customer experience strategies will be better positioned to compete.