YouTube tops global media with $62 billion in revenues and over $40 billion in ads, putting it ahead of Disney and legacy TV combined.

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

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

Disney will invest $1 billion in OpenAI and allow Sora users to create short-form videos featuring more than 200 Disney, Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars characters. User-generated material opens a new potential spigot of low-cost content for Disney+, which is under increased pressure to compete with YouTube. The move marks a major shift for a conglomerate that has historically held its IP close to the chest.

Luma AI has secured a $900 million funding round led by Humain, pushing its valuation above $4 billion and marking one of the largest investments to date in AI-generated video. As agencies, studios, and brands increasingly adopt AI for editing, narration, testing, and full video generation, Luma’s raise signals a shift: AI video is becoming the creative backbone for modern advertising, powering faster iteration, scalable personalization, and multi-format production across every screen.

Coca-Cola is putting out another AI-generated holiday advertisement, its second after an AI ad campaign last year that drew mixed reactions from audiences. While attitudes toward AI in ads are mixed, smaller brands are at a higher risk of receiving negative impacts from creating ads entirely using AI.

Holding company WPP launched WPP Open Pro on Thursday, a self-serve AI tool piloted by Google and other clients that creates ad campaigns from start to finish in a push to attract small businesses. WPP’s newest move means marketers can continue to expect greater automation, cost savings, and a shift in agency relationships.

OpenAI created an Expert Council on Well-Being and AI—a panel of eight behavioral and mental health specialists tasked to guide how AI tools like ChatGPT and Sora interact with users, per Ars Technica. CEO Sam Altman also announced on X that, “now that we have been able to mitigate the serious mental health issues and have new tools, we are going to be able to safely relax the restrictions in most cases.” OpenAI’s loosening guardrails shift responsibility to brands and users who must now share in the responsibility to define and enforce their own ethical boundaries.

OpenAI’s Sora iOS app sparked a wave of creative excitement—and an equally fast wave of scams. Exclusive to iOS and the web, Sora quickly climbed to the top of Apple’s download charts last week. But within days, the App Store was swarming with fake “Sora” and “Sora 2” apps, many hastily rebranded to ride the surge in interest. Opportunists exploit the gap between trademark enforcement, app verification, and public awareness—turning brand equity into bait. Brands must act fast to secure trademarks, domains, and search terms tied to new launches or risk losing trust and revenues to copycats.

OpenAI’s Sora app surged to the top of the iPhone App Store’s free app chart despite its invite-only status, marking consumer demand for AI-heavy social experiences. It surpassed both OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini, the latter of which recently topped App Store charts with its social media-friendly Nano Banana AI image-editing feature. This is a new creative playground, where brands can test community-driven campaigns with a highly engaged audience. Marketers should experiment with various types of content to see what goes viral in an AI-first social environment to prepare for a new social media landscape and capitalize on emerging platforms.

Google, Anthropic, and Microsoft unleash tools that automate, integrate, and generate—yet steep prices and security concerns could limit how fast businesses dive in.

OpenAI is floating a social app: The move would place the company in direct competition with X and Meta, but will require a unique value proposition to pay off.

At $30 per minute, Veo 2 targets high-end business users, testing demand for costly AI-generated content.

Firefly AI debuts with IP-safe video generation, aiming to outshine OpenAI’s Sora. Its Premiere Pro integration could make it a go-to for professionals.

AI firms are paying for raw footage, offering creators extra cash—but with low payouts and growing privacy concerns, is this a good deal or a short-term play?

Rushed genAI promises and delayed launches erode trust, exposing how tech giants are prioritizing hype over realistic timelines in a race to beat competitors

Brands focus on AI as creative ally: The technology's role in fostering innovation and cost savings augments human touch.

AI video technology attracts early adopters: Brands like TCL embrace imperfect results for cost savings.

OpenAI’s new video tool promises stunning capabilities but struggles with traffic overload, regional restrictions, and a hefty Plus account price tag.