In this week’s Week In Review: WPP to invest in AI after Q1 shows a five percent dip, Channel 4 sets out its new AI rules, and Perplexity integrates into WhatsApp.
Brands and Agencies
WPP to Invest in AI Amidst Revenue Drop
This week, WPP revealed revenue fell by five percent year-on-year at the holding company this quarter, but the ad giant said it remains optimistic thanks to its AI offering. The company’s CEO Mark Read, reassured that WPP is continuing to invest in AI and data – including its own AI platform WPP Open.
Read also said that the tariffs seen in the US were yet to hit client spending. WPP recently lost Coca-Cola as a client to fellow holding company Publicis, worth $700 million.
IAB Appoints New VP of AI
Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has named Caroline Giegerich VP of AI. IAB has said the new appointment will help the body integrate AI across digital advertising. Giegerich has spent 20 years in the advertising and marketing industry, having served at Warner Music Group, MediaLink, HBO, and Showtime Networks.
“IAB is entering a pivotal new phase in our AI journey – and Caroline’s deep expertise, creative vision, and collaborative leadership make her the ideal person to drive it forward,” said Cintia Gabilan, Senior VP of Centers of Excellence and Industry Initiatives at IAB. “From redefining creative workflows to protecting publisher IP, we’re building an AI roadmap that balances innovation with responsibility. Caroline will be at the helm of this transformation.”
Media
Channel 4 Sets out AI Rules
Channel 4 has outlined its AI principles, including plans to use AI and its general outlook and approach on the technology. The broadcaster’s principles include AI serving and not replacing people, using AI to empower teams, and not using AI to mislead or discriminate. Channel 4 said its employees are using Microsoft’s Copilot for everyday tasks, using a footage review tool from Prime Focus, using AI to stream sales operations, developing an AI chatbot for employee queries, using Adobe for marketing assets, and trialling AI in programming.
Natasha Lyonne Will Make Directorial Debut with AI Film
The Hollywood actress Natasha Lyonne, best known for performances in the series Russian Doll, has said she plans to make a directorial debut with an AI film. The Hollywood Reporter said that Jaron Lanier – a computer scientist and visual artist – will team up with Lyonne to create a movie that visually replicates an immersive video game. The film with be produced by Uncanny Valley, an AI studio founded by Lyonne herself and filmmaker and entrepreneur Bryn Mooser.
Tech
Perplexity Introduces WhatsApp Chatbot
This week, Perplexity announced it’s now available to use in WhatsApp, announced by co-founder and CEO Aravind Srinivas. The news follows Perplexity integrations into the chat app Telegram and Elon Musk owned social app X. The announcement indicates a wider shift towards Gen AI tools merging with everyday social apps.
Dubai-based Climaty.AI Launches Ad Carbon Platform
A new carbon intelligence platform, Climaty.AI, has officially launched in Dubai, aiming to bring climate responsibility to the forefront of the advertising industry. The platform offers integrated sustainability tracking and optimisation tools across all major media channels – including TV, out-of-home (OOH), print, radio, and digital, with a mission to help brands measure, minimise, and offset the environmental impact of their full media mix.
UK Tech Leaders Warn Unrealistic AI Expectations
A recent survey from IDC has found that 40 percent of UK tech leaders feel their boards have unrealistic expectations about AI’s ability to improve business performance. Leaders (26%) say that expectations are growing faster than teams can execute work. Under half (41%) say AI governance and ethics is a major concern, and under a third (30%) say employee resistance is holding them back.
Google Expands AdSense to Third-Party AI Chatbots
Google has begun displaying ads within third-party AI chatbots through its AdSense platform, traditionally used for monetising web pages and search results. This marks a significant extension of AdSense into conversational interfaces. The company initially tested this approach in 2024 with AI startups iAsk and Liner, and is now expanding access to more chatbot developers. In tandem with these advertising developments, Google has also upgraded its AI-powered search engine, AI Mode, to better handle complex user queries. It now offers visual responses such as product images and travel reviews.
Number of the Week
40 percent. That’s how much of Microsoft code is written by AI, the tech giant’s CEO Satya Nadella said at Meta’s first LlamaCon conference. The news comes shortly after Google parent company Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said over a quarter of Google’s code is generated by AI. In an interview with Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Nadella said: “Our bet is sort of that in the next year… maybe half the development is going to be done by AI as opposed to people, and that will kind of increase from there.”
