Privacy backlash dents AI targeting: Users dodge tracking and give fake details, leaving marketers with distorted inputs and a ceiling on personalization.
Brox builds behavioral replicas: 60,000 digital twins based on real humans promise insights in hours, not weeks, but the $100,000 entry is prohibitive.
They’re deploying agentic AI with the help of fintech partnerships.
TikTok turns travel inspiration into bookings: Hotel and experience booking tests a super app model that blends content, commerce, and commission.
Ad tiers power streaming’s next act: Nearly half of US SVOD accounts are ad supported, tying platforms’ future to ad performance as much as subscriptions.
OpenAI experiments with feed ads: Beta tool converts retail catalogs into ChatGPT ads, linking spend to intent-driven chats.
Prime Video blends binge and buy: New Clips turn casual scrolling into instant transactions on mobile.
The medical society is proposing policies around bans, labels, and consent rules as fake physicians erode trust and risk patient harm.
On today’s podcast episode, we discuss the three big questions surrounding Meta right now: Why isn’t Wall Street satisfied with Meta’s seemingly incomprehensible growth? Where should Meta be focusing its AI efforts? And what happens when the company creates an AI version of CEO Mark Zuckerberg? Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with Analyst Emmy Liederman and Principal Analyst Max Willens. Listen everywhere, or watch on YouTube and Spotify.
AI can outperform doctors at some clinical tasks, but narratives overstating the tech’s advantages in patient care could erode physician trust.
Cloudflare ties AI overhaul to layoffs: Q1 revenues jump 34%, but a 20% workforce cut may test investor faith in an agentic model.
The company’s agentic commerce expansion underscores diverging adoption trends in the US and China.
AI product links go mainstream: Nearly 30% of users turn to AI for links, making discovery a cross-generational entry point.
Alphabet’s AI stack fuels ad economics: Anthropic’s $200 billion deal boosts Google Cloud, while TPUs and Gemini may lower ad costs.
AI Email A/B testing has an AI quality problem: Without rigor, AI crowns false winners and locks in flawed templates.
On today’s podcast episode, we discuss the three big questions surrounding Google right now: If Google is winning at search, where is its ad machine quietly losing? Is its self-driving car unit, Waymo, a sleeping giant for the company? And are its new traditional TV-style “Stations” the right model for YouTube as it tries to take over the living room? And more. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with Analyst Marisa Jones and Senior Forecasting Analyst Drew Spink. Listen everywhere, or watch on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
OpenAI widens ad footprint: International rollout aims to lure in advertisers, using scale to offset weak CTRs and steep revenue goals.
Willingness to pay for social media isn’t signaled by time spent: Lighter users overindex on interest in premium tiers, favoring control and utility over endless feeds.
Social feeds fuel, wallets drain: Prediction markets convert clicks into cash for a few but result in losses for many. The trend risks regulation and brand safety.