This week’s Week In Review: Brothers & Sisters launches an AI production studio, Publicis beats WPP for Coca-Cola’s account, Meta faces a copyright lawsuit over AI training, Manus AI causes a stir, and more.
Agency
Brothers & Sisters Creative Agency Launches AI Studio
London-based creative agency Brothers & Sisters has launched an AI production studio and revealed that its recent Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) campaign was created almost entirely using AI.
Led by Steph Hobart, the AI studio integrates AI artists into various production stages, from concept to final product. Hobart, previously brand marketing director at Candy Crush makers King Games, told AI Media News about the studio’s ambitions: “We are on a mission to democratise world class creativity for sports brands who might normally be scared of creative agency production budgets. We’ve invested in our AI studio so that we can match our world class strategy and ideas with world class execution all under one roof.”
Publicis Wins Coca-Cola Account Despite WPP AI Vision
WPP faces a setback after Coca-Cola moves a significant portion of its $4 billion global media account to Publicis. WPP has positioned AI as a core part of its strategy, investing $300m into AI to enhance marketing efficiency and effectiveness.
The company’s bespoke ‘Open X’ team was tasked with transforming Coke’s marketing, shifting 60% to digital and integrating AI into commerce, data, and influencer marketing. Losing out on this account – reportedly worth $700m – could undermine WPP’s AI-led vision. This news takes place against the backdrop of WPP’s recent earnings report that undershot analyst predictions.
WPP and Bain Capital Consider Kantar Worldpanel Sale
The owners of Kantar Worldpanel – WPP and Bain Capital – are considering selling the research company for an estimated £5 billion ($6.5 billion), according to Sky News.
Initially, reports suggested an IPO, but the Financial Times now claims the two firms may sell Kantar in parts to maximise profits. Kantar recently sold its audience rating division for $1 billion and merged Worldpanel with acquired data company Numerator – which could be sold as soon as this year.
WPP, which owns a minority stake after selling 60% to Bain in 2019, could sell its share or negotiate full ownership with its partnering investment firm.
Media
French Writers Sue Meta Over AI Training
A group of French publishers and authors are suing Meta over claims the tech giant used their copyrighted works without permission to train AI model.
Three trade groups, including the National Publishing Union and the National Union of Authors and Composers, claim Meta engaged in “massive” unauthorised data use, ABC News reports.
The groups have demanded the removal of AI training data derived from their works, citing concerns over AI-generated ‘fake books’ competing with real literature. The lawsuit aligns with the EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act, which requires AI systems to respect copyright. This case is one of many in the growing global tension between creatives and tech firms over AI and copyright.
Scope3 Launches Agentic AI Media Platform
Global eco-focused adtech company Scope3 launched its Agentic Media Platform, a centralised AI-powered hub for publishers, ad tech platforms, and agencies to build and sell agentic media products.
The platform integrates AI-driven decisioning through its ‘Brand Standards’ model, which enhances compliance, transparency, and sustainability. It connects data, expert agents, and custom algorithms across programmatic campaigns and direct buys, with third-party integrations including LiveRamp, Classify, Sy.nexus, and Compliant. Amazon’s demand-side platform (DSP) is the first to adopt it, with Index Exchange, Equativ, and MiQ showing interest, the company reports.
Tech
ServiceNow Acquires AI Agent Chatbot Company Moveworks
US-based cloud computing company ServiceNow announced it is acquiring AI firm Moveworks for $2.85 billion, marking its largest-ever acquisition.
Moveworks specialises in agentic AI chatbots that automate employee issue resolution and integrates with platforms like Slack and SharePoint. ServiceNow’s ‘Now Assist’ already competes with Moveworks, but their AI solutions take different approaches. The deal, expected to close in late 2025, will see over 500 Moveworks employees join ServiceNow.
The acquisition strengthens ServiceNow’s AI-powered workflow automation, positioning it to compete with Salesforce and other AI-driven enterprise software firms.
Chinese Manus AI Challenges US Rivals and Partners with Alibaba
Chinese AI agent company Manus AI claimed a breakthrough this week, launching a preview version of its general AI agent – able of performing a variety of tasks – that can screen resumes, plan trips, and analyse stocks autonomously. Unlike many US tech developed AI agents, Manus AI positions itself as “truly autonomous”.
However, early reviews are mixed, with some praising its accuracy while others report slow processing and factual errors. In the same week, Manus AI announced a strategic partnership with Alibaba’s Qwen AI. Unlike chatbots, AI agents act as digital workers, executing tasks independently. Manus AI, which recently launched and rivals OpenAI’s DeepResearch, has gone viral on Chinese social media, drawing comparisons to DeepSeek. The partnership aims to integrate Qwen’s open-source AI models with Manus AI, helping it scale amid high demand.
UK Government Announces New ‘Test and Learn’ AI Approach
The UK Government is revamping its approach to digital projects and AI experiments, adopting a ‘test and learn’ start-up mindset to reduce waste and drive innovation.
AI initiatives will start with small budgets, with successful projects receiving additional funding, the Government said. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology cites complex funding processes as a barrier to agility and progress in AI.
Technology Secretary, Peter Kyle, said: “Technology has immense potential to build public services that work for citizens. But a decades old process has encouraged short-sighted thinking and outdated tech, while stopping crucial innovation before it even gets going.”
OpenAI Launches New Agent Building Tools
US AI giant OpenAI has launched new APIs and tools for developers to build and scale AI agents more efficiently. Key features include a ‘Responses API’, built-in tools like web search and file search, an Agents SDK for workflow orchestration, and observability tools for debugging.
OpenAI said it plans to phase out the ‘Assistants API’ by mid-2026, incorporating its features into the new ‘Responses’ API.
Number of the Week
$11.9 billion. That’s how much OpenAI is paying for a five year contract with CoreWeave, an AI data centre and services provider. Backed by AI chip firm Nvidia, CoreWeave has experienced 700% revenue growth in 2024, with over 60% of revenue from Microsoft, OpenAI’s key investor. The company operates 32 data centres with over 250,000 Nvidia graphic processing units (GPUs) – an electronic circuit that can do maths at speed. Having raised $12 billion in funding, CoreWeave is now reportedly targeting a $35 billion valuation.
