Claude’s ad-free stance at the Super Bowl drove 11% user growth as trust fears shadowed ChatGPT’s ad plans—but scale gaps remain vast.

US B2B digital ad spending reached just over $20 billion in 2025, per EMARKETER, as brands compete for attention across an increasingly fragmented channel mix.

Discord is joining YouTube and TikTok in implementing stricter age verification processes, squeezing marketer access to young users.

Asia-Pacific leads AI adoption worldwide, but penetration varies widely by market. From rapid uptake to cautious testing, markets are taking very different paths.

Instagram is reportedly expanding Meta's ecosystem with Instants, a Snapchat-style app that would add inventory and reach, reinforcing Meta’s ad dominance.

Fan remixes are turning into an attention engine, and brands that design for reinterpretation stand to win.

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss the three big questions surrounding Meta right now: Is 2026 Meta’s ‘Big Tobacco’ moment? How big of a problem is Meta's AI spending spree? What's the vision for its AI agent? And more. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with Senior Analyst Minda Smiley and Principal Analyst Max Willens. Listen everywhere, and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

Regulators say limiting rival chatbots on WhatsApp could breach competition rules and reshape AI distribution power.

Automation is now table stakes in social advertising. Platforms are pushing AI-driven campaigns at scale. But advertisers still demand control, transparency, and brand safety—and it’s all reshaping how performance media gets bought.

Amazon’s strong Q4 results were tempered by uncertainty as a $200 billion 2026 spending plan rattled investors.

PubMatic addresses publisher concerns with AI Insights, a tool that reveals buyer, DSP, and inventory trends to clarify where demand and value move.

AI platforms’ long-held anti-advertising stance changed in January 2026. The rising cost of competing in AI has forced OpenAI and Google to launch AI ad pilots, and other platforms will likely follow suit. But advertisers may not be the winners in this gold rush.

The AI Platform Is Closer Than Some Rivals, but It Still Faces Barriers

Meta's Q4 revenues jumped 24%, but massive AI capex made it one of its costliest quarters.

Pinterest’s AI pivot looks defensive: Workforce cuts aim to fund automation, but investors remain unconvinced that AI investment alone will restore growth momentum.

Meta is tightening teen safeguards for its AI companions in a move that could help make future chatbot ads more viable.

AI was everywhere at CES 2026, from robots to toilets and toys. The race to define the next computing interface is on, agentic ad tech is emerging, and health wearables are pushing further into physiological data. Best in show: Lego’s Smart Brick.

Threads beats X in daily active users on mobile as Meta’s established ad stack makes Threads a safer long-term bet for community-driven social ads.

Trust in consumer banking varies widely in 2026. Primary banks still anchor core products. But confidence differs by generation, product, and channel, with honesty, transparency, and security shaping how consumers evaluate financial providers.