Amazon announced a breadth of AI-powered ad options on Day 1 of its annual Unboxed event designed to simplify campaign creation and deployment. Amazon’s new resources give advertisers a uniquely full-funnel solution that’s difficult to find in the crowded digital marketing world.
A year after enterprise software firms began rolling out AI agents, most tools now look and act alike—creating confusion for companies trying to choose the right solution. And because many rely on the same OpenAI or Anthropic models, their offerings are almost indistinguishable, per The Information. Brands should prioritize AI agents that connect across ecosystems, protect data, and scale smarter instead of locking into one vendor’s walled garden. Doing so builds resilience, flexibility, and trust in an increasingly crowded AI market.
Amazon announced a slew of ad updates at its annual Unboxed event, including agentic AI tools primed for campaign planning, targeting, and creative development. Amazon is tightening its grip on the ad workflow, potentially pulling spend from Google and Meta while making its platform more indispensable to brands. Agency-free brands should experiment with the tools while keeping in mind that human insights and oversight are key to responsible, effective campaign deployment. Ensure that the use of genAI content in ads is disclosed to maintain user trust, and check that market research and concept generation match with brand voice and reputation.
35% of US employees who use unapproved AI tools at work have shared employee data, the most commonly shared category of potentially sensitive information, according to an August survey from Cint and Cybernews.
The world’s largest digital platforms are increasingly treating AI as the foundation of a new commercial paradigm, according to recent earning calls from Google, Amazon, and more.
As shoppers flock to LLM-powered searches to learn more about products and set shopping budgets, Salesforce data reveals new opportunities for brands looking to have a firm hold on their customers' journeys.
OpenAI may build its own consumer health tools, such as a personal health assistant or a product that aggregates users’ health data, per a Business Insider report. A range of healthcare and tech companies—from Verily to wearable makers like Oura and Fitbit—are developing AI-powered health coach and assistant tools. A comparable OpenAI product could immediately threaten existing solutions due to its massive scale, provided it gains access to patient data. However, makers of health-tracking devices and some digital health companies could also be strong partners for OpenAI in creating a product that combines advanced AI with user health data.
The majority (86%) of healthcare professionals say AI affects their treatment decisions, although the degree ranges from significant to slight, per a recent DHC Group survey. Healthcare professionals are open to more AI use in medical practice, but they still prefer it as a support tool. Pharma companies should focus on advisory, not decision-making solutions that can help save physicians’ time and add clinical context.
Gen AI tools are making it easier to carry out ecommerce fraud. Bad actors are increasingly using genAI tools to trick moderation teams, Nicolas Waldmann, the head of external affairs for TikTok’s global governance and experience unit, told Business Insider. That includes creating more convincing listings for fake or counterfeit products, as well as fabricating brands. While AI slop is not unique to ecommerce marketplaces, the stakes are high—especially for emerging ones like TikTok Shop that are still trying to win consumers’ trust. Shoppers who lose money on products that don’t exist are unlikely to become loyal customers, and widespread fraud can deter consumers from purchasing in the first place.
Seventy percent of banking leaders believe agentic AI will “have a significant or game-changing impact on the banking industry,” according to an American Banker survey commissioned by SoundHound AI. For banks to move agentic AI tools from the pilot stage to wide rollouts, they’ll need a business case, a strategic roadmap, and a plan to promptly address tactical issues. Must-haves include strong AI governance, a modern data layer that unifies access to siloed business information, and a framework for customer trust.
Social media marketers are prioritizing user-generated content (UGC) and influencer collaborations. More than three-quarters (82%) of B2B and B2C marketers say UGC is at least somewhat important, per Emplifi. But marketers are facing challenges with their workloads. Just 7% report never feeling burned out, and nearly half say they need more headcount and resources. Marketers should invest in joint UGC and influencer strategies and monitor impact beyond vanity metrics, and CMOs should focus on building teams that can work together across silos efficiently.
AppLovin beat expectations again, delivering a blowout quarter that affirmed its place among the most profitable players in adtech. Even as the company faces ongoing scrutiny over data practices and an SEC probe, its financial momentum appears unaffected. AppLovin is proving that controversy doesn’t always kill momentum. Its ability to execute quarter after quarter suggests marketers may be more pragmatic than moralistic, following results over rhetoric.
Highwire developed the AI Index, a tool that helps marketing and communications professionals understand how their brands show up in genAI search, per a press release. AI Index benchmarks brand appearances across genAI engines, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude, and Google’s Gemini. SEO shouldn’t be tossed by the wayside just yet, but as genAI matures, tools like Highwire Index can help brands navigate changes in search. To boost brand visibility in AI engines, marketers should focus on user-generated content and building brand affinity across social, community-driven platforms.
At Bank of America’s (BofA) investor day, its first in over a decade, the bank said it spent more than $118 billion on technology in the last 10 years. In 2025, its annual spending on new technology initiatives will reach $4 billion out of a total of $12.7 billion. In the AI race, banks that aren’t already ahead will fall even further behind. Increasingly sophisticated automation as well as an AI-assisted jump in employee productivity mean AI investments quickly compound on themselves. Last month, JPMorgan said it had already broken even on its $2 billion AI investments.
Mid-market marketers (companies with 10 to 499 employees) have high expectations for artificial intelligence and see AI as a productivity lever for lean teams, according to new data from WARC and MailChimp—but adoption lags behind enthusiasm. AI is still in its early days, leaving a wide gap between the largest companies with capital to invest in proprietary resources and smaller teams with more limited resources.
After more than a year of AI stumbles, Apple will reportedly pay Google $1 billion annually to use a custom-built version of Gemini, Google’s flagship AI model, to power a next-generation Siri—marking one of Apple’s boldest AI moves yet, per Bloomberg. A smarter Gemini-infused Siri could redefine how users find information, products, and services—shifting search and ad engagement from text to voice. For marketers and advertisers, this means adapting quickly to a world where voice agents become the new gatekeepers of attention.