The news: Ad quality has a big impact on whether gamers will stay in the game or walk away from a session. Over half (52%) of gamers in the US, the UK, Germany, and Japan would quit playing if they encountered multiple disruptive ad features, per Deloitte’s Quality Drives Value: A Look into Mobile Gaming Ads survey. Our take: Prioritizing features like rewards and skip options can help players feel in control and properly compensated for their time, helping mobile gamers to stay engaged, click through, and return. Poorly timed or deceptive ads, on the other hand, risk alienating gamers and increasing churn.
The news: Disney and Universal are suing AI startup Midjourney, alleging copyright infringement. The lawsuit states that Midjourney pirated their content libraries and continues to produce “innumerable” copies of their characters, including Shrek, Homer Simpson, and Darth Vader. Our take: A victory for the studios could cut off AI companies’ access to media libraries, accelerate a shift toward paid content licensing deals, and set legal precedents to help web publishers and IP owners protect their content from data scraping.
The news: A sweeping internet outage traced to Google Cloud paralyzed various content streaming, cloud productivity, gaming, and AI services Thursday. The outage exposed the dangerous reality of an increasingly hyper-connected digital infrastructure—when one provider fails, the entire ecosystem collapses like dominoes. Our take: AI adoption is straining overloaded cloud systems, making widespread outages inevitable as demand grows. While Cloudflare and Google Cloud may have fixed their issues within hours, its customers may have been deeply affected. The full financial impact may take weeks to emerge.
The news: Tech giants like Meta, Google, and Amazon are building tools that let brands bypass ad agencies entirely—automating the creation, placement, and optimization of ads, per The Wall Street Journal. Yes, but: Strategy, storytelling, and brand stewardship can’t come from algorithms. Even with automation, brands need creative direction, long-term planning, and cross-channel cohesion—roles agencies are uniquely positioned to play. Our take: To stay relevant, agencies must move up the funnel. AI can optimize and target, but it can’t craft brand strategy or narrative. The edge belongs to firms that lead with insight, creativity, and cohesion.
The news: With scams on the rise, advertisers and brands need to be thoughtful with their communications to keep it out of junk folders. 96% of US adults get at least one scam email, phone call, or text message each week, per CNET. Our take: To stop volume fatigue, brands should avoid inundating users’ phones and inboxes with constant messaging. Social media could offer a less-saturated space where short-form content can exemplify brand personality and where users are more likely to expect engagement.
The news: Snap announced its sixth-generation AR smart glasses at the 2025 Augmented World Expo (AWE). The wearables will be available to the public for the first time since 2016, potentially unlocking a new revenue stream beyond ads. The lightweight consumer smart glasses, called Specs, will launch in 2026 and include an “ultra-powerful wearable computer.” Our take: Snap’s next-gen smart glasses could diversify its revenue streams and show off its AR prowess. But unless the price tag is affordable and competitive, users may continue to just use Snapchat’s AR filters on their phones.
With economic uncertainty influencing how people shop, marketers and retailers have a prime opportunity to create in-store value. Today’s shoppers seek more than products—they want a shopping experience that delivers immediacy, control, and sensory engagement. Here’s what retailers need to know about current consumer behavior in physical aisles.
The news: Google’s search dominance is slipping as AI innovations threaten its ad business. Its global web visits declined 1% YoY in April, according to Similarweb data published by AdWeek, compared with 182% growth for OpenAI’s ChatGPT and 181% for Perplexity. Google’s searches on Safari also dropped for the first time ever in April. In March, about 77% of all Google searches that triggered an AI Overview garnered zero clicks, which could dissuade advertisers from spending on the platform. Our take: As AI transforms search and keywords become less important, publishers and brands may need to rethink strategies for how their content is discovered and how they attract search users. AI-optimized content will likely become the next battleground for visibility and performance.
The news: Smartphone makers and developers may be misplacing their focus on on-device AI as consumer interest nose-dives from already low levels. Only 3% of smartphone owners are willing to pay extra for AI features, per CNET’s 2025 Smartphone Innovation Survey, down from 6% in September. Our take: Enterprise customers may be a better bet for on-device AI adoption considering public consumers’ disinterest and privacy concerns. To boost use among consumers, smartphone makers could focus on easy-to-use features that are accessible to those new to AI and roll out AI upgrades incrementally rather than all at once to avoid AI overload.
The No. 1 change B2B tech buyers want is pricing transparency from vendors, as cited by 45% worldwide, per January data from TrustRadius.
The news: In a bold power play, Google dropped Android 16 just one day after Apple unveiled iOS 26 at WWDC, a divergence from its usual September release. The timing steals some of Apple’s spotlight, escalating the tech rivalry while injecting new energy into the smartphone wars. Key takeaway: Google’s fast-tracked and AI-infused Android 16 update signal a shift in mobile strategy aimed at overtaking the iPhone. Developers and advertisers should prioritize Pixel-first app experiences, optimize for desktop-like multitasking on mobile, and reimagine engagement for an OS that’s more utility driven. A Pixel-first rollout for Android 16 indicates Google is pushing its own hardware platform, making Pixels more attractive to consumers who want the latest features first.
he news: At WWDC 2025, Apple announced its upcoming macOS 26 Tahoe, marking the final operating system supporting Intel-based Macs and the end of a computing era. Apple’s transition will accelerate replacement cycles for millions of business users and marketing technology stacks. ur take: The shift will require a massive reset for Apple-reliant companies. They will need comprehensive technology audits across devices and software to weed out unsupported tools. Organizations delaying transitions, particularly for models that have already lost support, risk security vulnerabilities and performance limitations, affecting campaign execution and creative production timelines.
The news: The gaming industry is doubling down on handheld consoles. Nintendo’s Switch 2 shattered single-day sales records with an estimated 3 million units sold at launch, outpacing the Sony PS4’s historic numbers. Meanwhile, Microsoft announced its first handhelds—the ROG Xbox Ally and the ROG Xbox Ally X—partnering with Asus to blend Xbox and PC gaming in a portable format. They’re expected to launch during the holidays. Our take: As cloud and console experiences merge into portable form, game design and ad models are set to evolve fast—opening up fresh real estate for marketers, game studios, and tech platforms alike.
On today’s podcast episode, we discuss how Americans’ feelings towards AI have changed this year, the gaps in concern between AI experts and the general public, and the best ways to get started with AI. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Analyst Grace Harmon, and Senior Vice President of Media Content and Strategy Henry Powderly. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.
The news: Meta is in talks to invest upwards of $10 billion in Scale AI, a data labeling startup. The deal would be Meta’s biggest ever external AI investment and could help it position its Llama large language model (LLM) as an industry standard, per Bloomberg. Scale AI has already partnered with Meta to develop Defense Llama, an LLM designed for military use that’s built on Llama 3, and also works with Meta competitors like Microsoft and OpenAI. Our take: Meta’s massive investment could draw antitrust scrutiny in an era of acqui-hires. The outcome of active probes in Big Tech partnerships could influence regulatory action, especially if this investment contains any exclusivity that limits model training resources for other companies.
The news: IT leaders are increasingly concerned about unauthorized employee use of AI and its risk to company security and compliance. 90% are concerned about “shadow AI,” or employees adopting AI tools without IT team approval, per Komprise’s IT Survey: AI, Data & Enterprise Risk. 13% of companies said genAI has harmed their finances, customers, or reputation—proof that AI’s risks aren’t just hypothetical. Our take: Companies should pair data management and protection of sensitive data with worker training. Giving employees access to tools they’ll actually use and keeping them in the loop on AI plans could help prevent the use of unauthorized tools and data leaks, foster trust, and deter sabotage of genAI initiatives.
The news: Generative AI (genAI) has become standard across US enterprises—95% of companies report using it to some extent, up from 83% a year ago, per Bain & Co—but wider enterprise adoption is hitting roadblocks. A lack of robust governance and the need for continuous security validation are getting in the way. Our take: To escape limbo, enterprises must shift from experimentation to disciplined execution. That means building AI governance into the foundation—not as an afterthought. Security, transparency, and trust must be embedded into every AI deployment. Businesses shouldn’t just see AI as a plug-and-play solution without vetting it and aligning it with desired outcomes. For marketers, campaigns built on shaky AI foundations risk brand reputation, compliance failures, and consumer mistrust.
The news: Apple’s highly anticipated AI enhancements, particularly for Siri, remain unfinished. During WWDC 2025, SVP Craig Federighi confirmed delays, stating Apple needs “more time to reach a high-quality bar.” No major voice assistant upgrades were announced. Apple’s most relevant AI move wasn’t a product—it was a warning: Ahead of its event, Apple published a research paper arguing that top models like OpenAI’s GPT-4o, Anthropic’s Claude 3.7, and Google’s Gemini don’t truly “reason.” Instead, they create an “illusion of thinking.” Our take: Apple is hedging its AI bets by being cautious with core offerings like Siri while quietly enabling developers with on-device LLMs and privacy-first tools. Instead of overpromising, Apple is pointing out potential problems with the latest AI models while exercising restraint.
The news: On Thursday, Nintendo released the Switch 2, its first new console since the Nintendo Switch was launched in 2017. The handheld device comes with upgraded specs, social gaming features, and bundles with exclusive titles like Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza. It also includes GameChat, a feature that combines voice and video and lets up to 12 people chat while playing games. Our take: With a growing package of subscription perks and social hooks like GameChat, Nintendo may be taking a page from Apple’s playbook by turning its hardware into a recurring revenue engine. The Switch 2 could be a sticky ecosystem for Nintendo, even if the price goes up.
The news: Tesla stock rebounded about 5% Friday after a 14.3% crash during a public social media feud between President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk over the “Big Beautiful Bill.” The EV giant lost $152.4 billion in market value Thursday—its biggest one-day decline ever, per The Wall Street Journal. Our take: The Musk-Trump quarrel could drag on or it could end as abruptly as it started. Its effects on Tesla’s stock are a reminder that Musk is the company’s de facto spokesperson and that his persona is inseparable from Tesla’s brand. The Big Beautiful Bill, paired with cautious US consumer spending and economic uncertainty, could slow Tesla’s EV adoption just when the company can least afford it.