Welcome to Week In Review
From new tools transforming creative work, to campaigns reshaped by automation, we track the biggest shifts at the intersection of AI, media, and marketing. This week, WPP’s new CEO Cindy Rose pushes AI in her first company town hall, Vodafone gets backlash for its AI influencer ad, and a new report reveals AI skills gaps for marketers.
Top Stories of the Week
WPP CEO Cindy Rose Says Staff Should Be “AI Superusers”
Just days into her role, WPP’s new CEO Cindy Rose set an upbeat tone in a global town hall, saying the company is at an “exciting inflection point.” Drawing on her experience at Microsoft and Disney, she outlined three priorities: putting people first, winning for clients, and harnessing AI. Rose urged WPP’s 100,000 employees to become “AI superusers” and have the company’s AI operating system – WPP Open – on their phones.
Why it matters
Taking the reins from former CEO Mark Reid, Cindy Rose’s new job is no easy feat. Seen as a “charismatic” change from predecessor Mark Read, Rose faces the challenge of turning strategy into results amid WPP’s recent struggles and profit warning.
Vodafone Uses AI Influencer in Ad
Vodafone released a TikTok ad featuring an influencer promoting its product. The influencer, however, was pointed out to be AI-generated. Viewers quickly flagged odd facial expressions and unnatural movements. In response to criticism – commenters asking the company why a real, human influencer was not used – the telecommunications company stated it is “testing different styles of advertising – this time with AI.”
Why it matters
Audiences are becoming increasingly critical of AI-generated influencers – online characters made using GenAI. Recent AI models in vogue and H&M have garnered criticism online. A big part of this scepticism comes from the view that AI influencers take away opportunities from real-life influencers.
ADMA Report Highlights AI Skills Gap in Marketing
A new report from the Association for Data-Driven Marketing and Advertising (ADMA) reveals that while 75 percent of marketers use AI weekly, only 29 percent have received formal training, underscoring a widening skills imbalance. The study, AI, Talent & Trust: A New Blueprint for Marketing Leadership, is based on a survey of 1,000 marketers and warns that without investment in training, AI’s long-term potential could be undermined.
Why It matters
Despite most marketers using AI in some form, nearly a third haven’t had formal AI training, revealing alarming skills gaps. AI education and training continues to be a primary means to healthy and effective AI adoption.
Quote of the Week
Brands & Agencies
AI Ad Monitoring Flags Jägermeister Campaign for Irresponsible Messaging
The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) used its AI-driven Active Ad Monitoring system to flag two Jägermeister ads on Facebook and Instagram that implied alcohol was essential to social success. One ad referenced “manifesting the best nights of your life” alongside a bottle of Jägermeister Manifest, while another claimed the drink was “serving the best night of your life.”
Publicis CEO Says AI, Not Acquisitions, Will Drive Future Growth
Publicis Groupe CEO Arthur Sadoun told investors at a recent Bank of America event that the holding company will prioritise data, technology, and AI investments over traditional acquisitions. “Our transformation allows us to deliver AI-powered marketing to our clients, and 100 percent of our investment is focused on accelerating even further in that direction,” Sadoun said.
Rent the Runway Expands AI Features
E-commerce platform Rent the Runway is adding new AI-powered features, according to the platform’s co-founder and CEO, Jennifer Hyman. These new features include personalised recommendations based on user preferences, as well as clothing fit and style information based on user reviews. During Rent the Runway’s quarterly earnings call, Hyman explained that these AI features will help “build a continuously improved product for customers.”
66.1% Predict Advertising Through AI Bots By 2030, Says WPP Report
Advertising company WPP Media released its Advertising in 2030 report, highlighting “how industry experts see the future of media, commerce and technology taking shape.” It found more than half (66.1 percent) of experts see a likelihood of interactions between brands and customers happening between AI bots – dubbed “AI2AI” in the report.
Ralph Lauren Launches AI Stylist Assistant ‘Ask Ralph’
High-fashion brand Ralph Lauren has teamed up with Microsoft Azure OpenAI to launch an AI shopping assistant called ‘Ask Ralph’. The tool allows customers to engage with a conversational AI assistant imitating the real-life designer Ralph Lauren’s personal style. Ask Ralph serves numerous outfit options from the Polo Ralph Lauren inventory, personalised to prompts from users. In a statement, Microsoft said that users can input conversational prompts into Ask Ralph, such as “What should I wear to a concert?” or “How can I style my navy-blue men’s blazer?”.
Media
Swedish Music Group Signs AI Licensing Agreement
The Swedish Performing Rights Society (STIM), announced that it signed the first music-based licensing agreement with an AI company. The agreement is with Songfox, a platform that allows users to generate music using AI. The licensing agreement gives music artists revenue when their creations are used on the AI platform, relying on attribution technology.
Quickplay Launches AI Platform for Broadcasters
Video platform Quickplay released Quickplay AI Studio, a platform designed to help broadcasters and streamers repurpose their content into monetisable short-form videos. The tool automates clipping, adding context to videos, and distribution across digital platforms like TikTok and YouTube. AI Studio uses AI to pick out clips from content libraries to optimise performance.
Amazon Adds AI Features to American Football Streaming
Amazon is adding AI features to its Thursday Night Football broadcasts in the upcoming National Football League (NFL) season. Features include ‘Pocket Health,’ a tool which uses AI to analyse threats to players, and ‘End of Game’ tools which simulate scenarios for competing teams. Prime Video has previously added features to its American Football streams, such as a tool which predicts the actions of defensive players.
Alexander Wang Designs AI Stiletto for NYFW
After a seven-year absence from the New York Fashion Week, Alexander Wang will return this September with an AI-powered event. The runway will showcase Wang’s embrace of emerging tech, including a machine learning–designed, 3D-printed stiletto created in partnership with HILOS, as part of a broader push to integrate AI and zero-waste innovation into fashion.
Publishers Back New ‘Really Simple Licensing’ Standard to Control AI Training
Reddit, Yahoo, Medium, Quora, and other major publishers have announced support for Really Simple Licensing (RSL), a new standard that lets websites embed licensing and royalty terms into their content. Unlike the traditional robots.txt file, RSL enables publishers to set subscription, pay-per-crawl, or pay-per-inference fees, while still allowing bots for non-training purposes like search indexing. The initiative comes as companies like Cloudflare also test “Pay Per Crawl” systems, signaling a potential shift in how AI firms access training data across the open web.
Anthropic to Pay $1.5B in Landmark Author Copyright Settlement
AI firm Anthropic has agreed to a $1.5 billion settlement with a group of authors – including Andrea Bartz, Charles Graeber, and Kirk Wallace Johnson – who accused the company of using pirated books to train its Claude chatbot, marking the largest publicly reported copyright recovery in history. The deal, which still requires approval from US District Judge William Alsup, follows his earlier ruling that while training AI on books was “exceedingly transformative” under US law, Anthropic must stand trial over its use of pirated material.
Author Urges Amazon Crackdown on AI-Generated ‘Rip-Off’ Books
Thriller author Vanessa Fox O’Loughlin, who writes under the pen name Sam Blake, is pressing Amazon to tighten Kindle guidelines after AI-generated “fake” books appeared under her name. While removed from her profile, the titles remain on sale, with Amazon saying they don’t breach rules. Industry groups warn “AI slop” books threaten IP rights, while experts say authentication tools exist but Amazon lacks incentive without regulatory pressure.
WPP Expands Global Partnership with MACH Alliance
WPP has strengthened its partnership with the MACH Alliance, a composable enterprise tech company, to help enterprises integrate AI at scale. The move supports composable enterprise architecture, enabling brands to adopt new AI tools quickly without overhauling tech stacks. WPP CTO Stephan Pretorius called agility “the core driver of competitive advantage,” while the alliance said the partnership will accelerate AI-ready standards.
Britannica & Merriam-Webster Sue Perplexity Over Copyright Scraping
Encyclopaedia Britannica and Merriam-Webster are suing Perplexity AI, accusing it of scraping and summarising their content without permission. Filed in US federal court, the suit claims Perplexity diverts traffic and revenue while attributing false or “hallucinated” material. The publishers seek damages and an injunction to block further unauthorised use.
Tech
HubSpot Unveils ‘Loop Marketing’ to Tackle AI-Era Zero-Click Searches
At its Inbound 2025 conference in Singapore, HubSpot introduced Loop Marketing, a new framework designed for a landscape where nearly 60 percent of Google searches end without a click. Backed by over 200 new AI-powered tools, including specialised AI teammates and optimisation for LLMs, HubSpot’s approach aims to help brands personalise at scale and adapt to fragmented digital attention.
Amazon Music Launches AI-Powered ‘Weekly Vibe’ Playlists
Amazon Music has unveiled Weekly Vibe, an AI-driven feature that refreshes playlists every Monday to match users’ evolving moods and listening habits. Weekly Vibe positions Amazon Music to compete more directly with Spotify’s AI-powered personalisation tools.
Moments Lab Launches AI-Powered Discovery Agent for Video Teams
Moments Lab has unveiled Discovery Agent, an AI assistant powered by its multimodal MXT engine that helps producers and creatives quickly locate key moments in vast media libraries. Acting more like a research partner than a search tool, it enables conversational queries, remembers past prompts, and delivers precise clip recommendations to streamline editing and storytelling.
Adobe Launches AI Agents and Orchestrator for Experience Platform
Adobe has released its AI Agents and AEP Agent Orchestrator, now available after debuting at Adobe Summit 2025. Brands like Hershey, Lenovo, and PGA Tour tested the tools, which include Audience, Journey, Experimentation, Data Insights, Site Optimisation, and Product Support Agents. Powered by a reasoning engine, the system interprets natural language prompts to activate agents.
Microsoft and OpenAI Agree on Terms to Reshape Partnership
Microsoft and OpenAI have signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) to overhaul their partnership. The deal lets OpenAI convert into a for-profit entity while its nonprofit parent retains control and over $100bn in equity. Another part of the deal means Microsoft has continued access to OpenAI’s models. Regulators and charities are reviewing the plan.
ByteDance Launches Seedream 4.0 to Challenge Gemini
ByteDance has introduced Seedream 4.0, an AI image generator that runs 10 times faster than earlier models and costs $0.03 per image, undercutting Google’s Gemini 2.5 Flash Image. Available via ByteDance platforms and enterprise integration, the tool aims to win cost-sensitive users in a market projected to hit $2.63bn by 2035.
Stability AI Launches Enterprise-Focused Stable Audio 2.5
Stability AI has unveiled Stable Audio 2.5, its first audio generation model designed for enterprise-grade sound production. Built to help brands create customizable sonic identities, the tool delivers three-minute tracks in under two seconds, supports audio inputs, and generates multi-part musical compositions. Stability AI is also partnering with WPP’s sound branding agency Amp to co-develop enterprise solutions.
Nvidia to Launch Rubin CPX AI Chips for Video Generation
Nvidia announced it will debut its Rubin CPX AI chips by late 2026, built on its Rubin architecture and designed for demanding tasks like video generation and AI-assisted coding. The chips integrate video decoding, encoding, and inference to handle workloads. Video generation uses up more AI ‘tokens’ than text and image, requiring this type of chip.
Koah Raises $5M to Bring Ads to AI Chats
San Francisco-based startup Koah has raised $5m in seed funding to develop advertising for AI chat apps, tackling one of the industry’s biggest monetisation challenges. Led by Forerunner with participation from South Park Commons and AppLovin’s Andrew Karam, the funding supports Koah’s ad platform already integrated into apps like Luzia and DeepAI. CEO Nic Baird told TechCrunch Koah delivers 7.5 percent clickthrough rates.
Meta Strikes $140M Multi-Year Deal with Black Forest Labs
German AI startup Black Forest Labs has reportedly signed a multi-year contract with Meta, securing $35m in the first year and $105m in the second for its AI image generation tools. Founded by ex-Stability AI scientists, the Freiburg-based company has gained traction with models rivalling OpenAI and Midjourney.
Firefox Introduces AI Summary Feature on iOS
Mozilla introduced ‘Shake to Summarise,’ an AI summarisation feature to be available on its Firefox browser. Users on Apple iOS devices can shake their phone to generate concise summaries of web pages. The feature operates on Mozilla’s cloud-based AI system. ‘Shake to Summarize’ is offered on newer Apple products such as the iPhone 15 Pro, and can be turned off at any time.
Microsoft Chooses Anthropic Over OpenAI
Microsoft will incorporate AI technology from Anthropic into its Office 365 suite, The Information reported. Microsoft previously used OpenAI technology for its apps’ AI features, and will now merge resources from the two tech companies to power AI tools in Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint. Anthropic’s models will be used for tasks such as automating finance processes in Excel and creating PowerPoint presentations from supplied prompts.
Google to Change Default Search to AI Mode
Robby Stein, VP of product, Google Search, announced in a post on X that AI Mode can be opened directly, instead of the traditional Google search page, by inputting the link google.com/ai. A user commented that AI Mode should be the “default” for search– to which a Google AI employee responded that it likely will be. “Soon,” said Logan Kilpatrick, group product manager, Google DeepMind.
Start-Up of the Week
San Francisco–based AI inference platform Runware has secured $13m in Series A funding led by Insight Partners, bringing its total funding to $16m. Founded in 2023, Runware lets anyone launch and scale image and video generation apps with a unified API. It offers an AI-as-a-Service platform that delivers up to 90 percent cheaper inference costs than cloud rivals.
Number of the Week
That’s the percentage of media industry experts who disagree that most (over 50 percent) of social media creators will be AI-generated by 2030. The statistic comes from WPP Media’s Advertising in 2030 report, which revisited research from 2020. It collected advertising professionals’ views on the future of media and technology. Experts “acknowledged that it’s a possibility,” but remained hopeful that this transformation would not take place.
