January 21, 2026  |  SIGN UP

Michael Bürgi
SENIOR EDITOR, MEDIA BUYING AND PLANNING

Artificial intelligence is coming for us all! While Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei preaches looming doom from the stage at Davos, OpenAI and Google are set to battle for ad dollars -- and they won't be alone as others wend their way into the ad universe. With the entire world seemingly obsessed with AI and its potential, it would stand to reason that all entrants may find a valuable revenue stream (at a time when they're all operating very much in the financial red). 

Given its contextual potential, advertising in AI could be a boon for search-driven campaigns at the outset. It remains to be seen what other potential will be unleashed when baking marketing messages into generative AI. That's what agencies need to figure out now. 

What we do know now is that it's only going to drive the industry deeper into the ad-tech side of marketing – not that that's a bad thing, but it certainly translates to even less simplicity and transparency. At least that's what I'd guess from watching the media business over the last 35 years. 

ADVERTISEMENT

BOLD CALL

Bold Call: OpenAI’s ads pivot may come too little, too late

Advertising is coming to ChatGPT, but not fast enough to outrun incumbent platform giants – one in particular.

AI REVENUE GENERATION

OpenAI is hiring engineers, not ad sellers, first to build its ad business

OpenAI is focused on constructing the machine before worrying about selling what comes out of it.

PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM PADSQUAD

Recentering ad quality and relevance in a precision-driven industry

Many ad experiences are built without input from audience behavior, real-time performance or contextual signals. While these experiences may align with a brand platform, they’re not always designed to resonate with the people who see them. When the goal is relevance, it requires planning creative structures that adapt to different audiences, mindsets and contexts.

MARKETING ON PLATFORMS

As OpenAI gears up to launch ChatGPT ads, marketers try to keep up

Marketers were just getting used to how to show up organically in the platform. Now they have to figure out the next phase: paid.

A MESSAGE FROM BROWSI

Why advertisers are taking ad quality beyond viewable and human

Ads have to be more than simply human and viewable to have a real impact in today's ad ecosystem, but advertisers have spent years basing measurement on these standards. Advertisers should shift their focus to signals that tell a fuller (better) story.

Read more

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

Media Buying Briefing: How Horizon and Havas’ JV aims to distinguish itself in a ‘red ocean’

The joint venture is involved in multiple pitches for businesses with a strong U.S. base and international aspirations, while visiting pitch consultants to make sure it’s part of the consideration set.

STRATEGIZING FOR THE FUTURE

Forrester’s principal media report: It’s here to stay, so wise up on how to use it

The report acknowledges that the practice of principal media will only grow, but it offers ways to increase transparency around the opaque process.

PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM NAME.COM

Marketers tap new top-level domains to build recognition in the era of AI

Domains like .studio that align with brands' work create a clearer identity and give brands control of their narrative. They instantly communicate a brand's purpose, reducing the friction between name and identity and turning the domain itself into a marketing asset.

PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM CHANNEL FACTORY

Customization, control and accountability reshape how advertisers think about context

Safety, suitability and, now, customization mark the progression of how advertisers manage context. This shift has turned suitability from a box to be checked into a strategic function that begins with the advertiser and shapes the entire media plan.

PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM ADSTRA