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, WebMCP provides agents with structured actions, WPP Media releases a new AI-focused framework, and Unilever partners with Google Cloud.
Top Stories of the Week
Open Standard WebMCP Launches
The World Wide Consortium (W3C), which includes major tech companies like Microsoft and Google, has launched WebMCP, an open standard that provides AI agents with a structured menu of actions they can perform. Google Chrome has already unleashed the new protocol.
Why it matters: Instead of AI agents guessing where to click on a web page, WebMCP tells an agent exactly what tools are available to it e.g to add a product to a cart or book a hotel. Marketers must now optimise for agentic traffic, making sure their pages are ‘agent-ready’ or risk an agent navigating to a competitor website.
WPP Media Releases Future of Advertising Intelligence Framework
WPP Media introduced its Future of Advertising Intelligence Framework this week, providing advertisers with a framework of evaluating how global tech platforms are positioned for an AI-powered world. The guide assesses five core pillars including data assets, AI and tech, distribution, commerce, and media.
Why it matters: Core predictions from WPP Media include a shift to a bot-to-bot advertising ecosystem by 2030, and the fact that although AI models are quickly becoming commoditised, it is hard for new competitors to reach billions of daily users.
Unilever Partners with Google Cloud
Major FMCG giant Unilever announced a five-year partnership with Google Cloud to boost its AI, data and marketing capabilities. Unilever said in a statement the partnership will let the brand use Google’s AI platform Vertex AI to build new capabilities in brand discovery, measurement and AI-powered marketing.
Why it matters: The partnership also signifies a move towards agentic commerce, where Google Cloud Vertex AI and Gemini will be used to create conversational shopping experiences and guide consumer discovery and purchasing through AI tools.
Quote of the Week
Brands & Agencies
Omnicom Holds First Earnings Call Since IPG Acquisition
Omnicom Group had its first earnings call since the acquisition of fellow holding group Interpublic Group (IPG) in late November 2025. The company reported revenue of $5.5 billion but a net loss of $941m million.
Airbnb CEO Says AI Chatbot Traffic Converts More Than Google
In its latest earnings report, the online holiday home marketplace Airbnb reported that traffic from AI chatbots converts more than traffic from Google. The company’s CEO Brian Chesky said that “traffic that comes from chatbots converts at a higher rate than traffic that comes from Google.” Chesky didn’t go into detail on this.
Reddit Positions as Alternative to AI Tools
In an article in Vogue, Reddit’s COO Jen Wong explained how the online thread-based community platform serves as an alternative to AI tools for brands and advertisers. “Fashion and beauty brands have been coming to us to advertise, because our engagement is very deep and you can convey a lot more information, which is pretty unique,” said Wong.
ROAST Launches ChatGPT App Tracker
Performance media agency ROAST announced it was launching ChatGPT App Tracker, a tool designed to help brands navigate OpenAI’s GPT App Store. By launching a custom app in the AI platform, brands can ensure AI has a direct line to its database and can control the flow of a conversation with potential customers.
MakeMyTrip Partners with OpenAI
Travel company MakeMyTrip has partnered with OpenAI to strengthen its consumer travel discovery through AI tools. MakeMyTrip will use OpenAI’s APIs to create new features in its app and enable consumer high-intent discovery and purchasing.
Media
Lionsgate Appoints Chief AI Officer
The film studio Lionsgate has appointed its first Chief AI Officer Kathleen Grace. The studio, which has produced films such as John Wick and Twilight, said the new role will “serve the creative vision of filmmakers” while “spearhead[ing] initiatives to protect the IP of the studio and its talent partners”.
Belgium-based news publisher Mediahuis is experimenting with automating their first-line news with AI agents. The experimental project includes the use of AI agents in writing, fact checking and editing news stories – however these were always checked by a human before publishing, the news outlet said. The move would let Mediahuis’ journalists focus on producing the publication’s “signature journalism” instead of reporting news.
BAFTA to Reward ‘Human Creativity’
BAFTA is set to introduce ‘human creativity’ as a criteria at this year’s awards ceremony. Despite AI being banned in performance awards – such as an AI actor being chosen – the tool hasn’t been excluded from production. BAFTA’s chair Sara Putt said: “We’ve actually added [human creativity] as a criteria this year… Those very human skills of communication and collaboration are not going anywhere anytime soon.”
Film Company First to Provide ‘No AI’ Disclaimer
The Mise En Scene Company announced it would be using a disclaimer “No AI Used” in its movies, marking the first film company to do so. The company is also encouraging the wider film industry to adopt similar disclaimers in a bid to fight against the use of AI in the industry. Last week, Chinese tech company ByteDance launched a video model producing realistic videos that has stirred tension and backlash in the Film and TV sectors.
Pulp Fiction Writer Says AI Attracts Film Investors
The co-writer of cult classic Pulp Fiction Roger Avary has said that using AI in filmmaking has created more opportunities for him. In an episode of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, the writer said that he had to build an AI production company to get any funding. He said: “All of a sudden, just by attaching the word ‘AI’ and [the fact] that it’s a technology-based company, all of a sudden, investors came in, and we’re in production on three films now.”
Tech
Google Launches Gemini 3.1 Pro Across Products
Google has released Gemini 3.1 Pro, an upgraded reasoning model designed for complex problem-solving. Gemini 3.1 Pro is rolling out in preview to developers via the Gemini API, AI Studio and Vertex AI, and to consumers through the Gemini app and NotebookLM. The update strengthens Google’s push to embed advanced reasoning and agentic workflows across its consumer and enterprise AI ecosystem.
Alipay AI Pay Surpasses 120 Million Transactions
Alipay said its AI Pay solution processed more than 120 million transactions in one week, marking a milestone for agentic commerce in China. Integrated across apps, AI agents and smart devices, the service enables seamless in-chat payments, as Alipay expands AI-powered and tap-to-pay experiences.
Canva to Reposition as AI-First Platform
Canva is shifting from a design tool to an AI-first platform, reporting $4 billion in ARR and 20 percent YoY growth in monthly active users in 2025. Canva’s COO Cliff Obrecht said: “From where we started, we built Canva into a platform and gave it many AI tools. Now we’re turning that on its head. We’re becoming an AI platform with a design toolkit. So you can think of it more as a cursor for design.”
Aveola Launches Live Streaming with AI Safety Tools
Aveola, a social network focused on real-time human connection and conversation, has launched Live Streaming, allowing users to broadcast video to friends and the wider community. The feature includes built-in AI moderation to detect nudity or violence, plus privacy and viewer controls, expanding its real-time engagement tools.
Start-Up of the Week
California-based startup Kana Intelligence has raised $15 million in seed funding from Mayfield to build a platform of customisable AI marketing agents. Founded by former marketing tech entrepreneurs behind startups acquired by Microsoft and Salesforce, Kana aims to help teams automate data analysis, targeting and campaign management with mandatory human oversight, positioning itself as a flexible alternative to fragmented marketing AI tools.
Number of the Week
Lloyds Banking announced it expects its GenAI and agentic AI to deliver over £100 million in value this year, up from £50 million in 2025, after deploying more than 50 AI solutions across its operations. The bank is scaling agentic AI in 2026, including a full rollout of its in-app AI financial assistant, as it deepens digital transformation across its 28 million customers and workforce.
