June 5, 2026  |  SIGN UP

Jim Cooper
DIGIDAY, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Paradoxically, chief AI officers' breakneck work with AI will, in time, make them irrelevant. As we reported Thursday, that role is ticking down to extinction.

The incredibly rapid absorption of AI across company functions means that everyone will soon own AI. No need for a C-suite AI evangelist. James Chandler, chief strategy officer at the Interactive Bureau of Advertising U.K., likened this trend line to the rush to adapt mobile. Not a thing anymore. This broadening of AI capability is seen most with marketers. One third of digital ad spend will be AI-driven by 2030, per IAB U.K. forecasts.

And this AI creep won’t only be felt on the backend. Nearly two thirds (63%) of the 52 senior marketers and IAB members surveyed see AI as having a transformative impact on creative development over the next year. Tellingly, just 2% think the impact will be minimal. Ok robot.

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THE BUSINESS OF AI

Why the chief AI officer is a transitional species

The chief AI officer has an expiry date — and that’s the point. That’s the view of James Chandler, chief strategy officer at the Interactive Bureau of Advertising U.K., who sees the role as a means to an end.

THE SPORTS MARKETING PLAYBOOk

Coca-Cola’s AI-powered José Mourinho campaign could signal a shift in celebrity partnerships

The Coca-Cola Company. Ahead of the FIFA World Cup, Coca-Cola announced the launch of a “José vs. Mourinho” social content series. But instead of featuring José Mourinho, the incoming manager of the Real Madrid soccer team, the series will be hosted by Mourinho’s AI clone.

PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM PIANO

How publishers are growing revenue despite traffic declines

As use of AI search accelerates, publishers are seeing precipitous traffic declines. The publishers that grow revenue despite declining traffic use these key tactics: raise prices, reduce churn and invest in owned channels.

THE CREATOR ECONOMY

YouTube’s AI remix push exposes a looming reckoning for the creator economy 

Billed as a way to “easily step into the trends and conversations on YouTube,” the update has instead raised fresh questions across the creator economy about who controls how content is reused and reshaped by AI.

A MESSAGE FROM CLINCH

How a unified system unlocks an AI advantage

In advertising, AI without infrastructure is just noise. But in a unified system with connected workflows, AI acts in an organized, accountable way, and signals build to create a meaningful advantage.

See how it works 

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

Media Briefing: Perplexity’s new ‘trust and transparency’ pitch does little to win over publishers

 Two and a half years after launching its publisher partnership program, Perplexity is facing an uphill battle to win publishers’ confidence. 

ZERO-CLICK FUTURE

How publishers are modeling – and mitigating – a future with significantly less Google search traffic

The threat of this zero-click future feels more real after Google’s last developer conference, where execs announced sweeping, AI-powered changes to search designed to keep users on the search page.

PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM SHEERID

Permissioned data is helping brands and retailers personalize at scale

Permissioned data is the gold standard of consumer data, helping brands personalize at scale by providing insights into customers’ demographics, preferences and life moments.