Google has been pushing back on its ruling as a search monopoly, making its case directly to the Trump administration, arguing that a forced sale of Chrome--one of the Justice Department's most disruptive proposed remedies--poses national security risks, Bloomberg first reported. A Google spokesperson told ADWEKK, "We routinely meet with regulators, including with the DOJ,...

WPP is deepening its artificial intelligence toolset and making a strategic move into generative AI with a stake in Stability AI. The holding company's investment in Stability AI is meant to deepen access its advanced AI models for creating images, videos, 3D designs, and audio. In return, Stability AI will benefit from WPP's marketing expertise...

Microsoft is blurring the line between search and shopping with new AI-powered ads in its generative AI chatbot, Copilot. It unveiled several AI ad formats and tools today at its Advertising Accelerate event in the Dominican Republic, including Showroom Ads, an interactive split-screen experience that mimics in-store guidance, and branded AI agents that let brands...

President Donald Trump vowed a 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada will take effect on March 4, ending weeks of uncertainty. His confirmation sent Wall Street's S&P 500 tumbling 2% in afternoon trading, the Associated Press reported. The move reignites fears of a North American trade war as businesses brace for higher costs....

Under Armour has tapped Liz Bacelar, former executive director of global tech innovation at Estee Lauder, as its new head of AI and advanced analytics. Bacelar's role is to "fuel an era of generative AI for our organization", the company confirmed with ADWEEK. Bacelar is responsible for assembling a team of data scientists, engineers, and...

Perplexity is moving beyond AI search and into the crowded web browser market. The $9 billion startup teased its new browser, Comet, on X, calling it an "agentic search" experience. It launched a signup list but offered few details on how the browser will stand out from competitors. Comet: A Browser for Agentic Search by...

Meta and X gave the green light to AI-generated ads that called for the gassing of immigrants in concentration camps and the burning of synagogues ahead of Germany's federal elections on Feb. 23, according to new research from corporate accountability group Eko. The watchdog submitted 10 extremist ads filled with hate speech to both platforms...

Google is offering advertisers credits and free ad space to drive adoption of its AI-powered automated media buying tool, Demand Gen. ADWEEK spoke to five advertisers across media agencies and brands who said Google has been aggressively pushing Demand Gen over the past year. Launched in 2023, Demand Gen selects advertisers' best-performing video and image...

Streaming platforms are quietly redefining what "ad-free" really means. Even if you're paying for an ad-free experience, companies like Disney+ and Netflix are reshaping that definition--especially regarding live programming. The shift is particularly noticeable as Disney+ integrates more live sports, 24/7 channels, and programming from ESPN+ into its offerings, all of which traditionally include ad...

Elon Musk just launched a new battle with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Musk and a group of investors are making a $97.4 billion bid to buy OpenAI's nonprofit arm, escalating the fight over the AI company's future, reports The Wall Street Journal. The consortium includes Valor Equity Partners, Baron Capital, Atreides Management, Vy Capital, and...

Amidst the cheers of the Eagles' victory and Kendrick Lamar's electrifying Grammy-winning diss track during halftime, a quieter but significant shift took place during Super Bowl 59. AI ads, once met with a deluge of skepticism, are now more accepted by consumers--reflecting a shift in how people perceive AI in their lives. Ads featuring or...

OpenAI made a last-minute Super Bowl debut, pitching its flagship product, ChatGPT, as humanity's latest breakthrough innovation. Framing the ad as the dawn of "The Intelligence Age," OpenAI's 30-second spot takes viewers on a journey through humanity's greatest inventions--fire, airplanes, television--culminating in ChatGPT, which it presents as the next disruptive technology. The AI giant strayed...

Salesforce has unveiled its Super Bowl 59 ad, the latest installment in its "Agentforce. What AI Was Meant to Be" campaign starring Matthew McConaughey. The cloud software company will also air a second spot during the game with McConaughey as part of its broader campaign. The 30-second spot, "Gate Expectations," drops McConaughey into a familiar...

THE AD: Salesforce's Super Bowl 59 ad shows a drenched Matthew McConaughey seated outdoors at a restaurant, subtly grumbling at being stuck in the rain and served food he doesn't like. His frustration? A booking app without an AI agent to handle his preferences. In contrast, his friends from across the street our seen seated...

OpenAI made its Super Bowl debut with a 60-second spot positioning ChatGPT as the next major leap in human innovation. Airing during the second quarter of Super Bowl 59, the ad titled "The Intelligence Age" draws a throughline from humanity's greatest inventions--fire, airplanes, television--to ChatGPT, which it presents as the next disruptive technology. The spot...

THE AD: Following the Super Bowl ad trope, Meta's two flashy spots lean into celeb power--two Avengers, a Kardashian... and a $6 million banana. In the first ad, Chris Hemsworth and Chris Pratt perambulate through Kris Jenner's art collection asking Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses questions like, "Hey Meta, what's this?" while gazing at Maurizio Cattelan's...

Meta introduced several updates to its Advantage+ suite of artificial intelligence-powered automated ad products. The company is testing a streamlined Advantage+ campaign setup that combines its separate ad flows, manual campaign setup, and Advantage+ to extend AI optimization to more campaigns and give advertisers more control, vice president of product Krassimir Karamfilov said during a...

What happens when two Chrises, one Kris, and a pair of AI-powered glasses walk into an art museum? Meta's answer: two 30-second ads for Super Bowl 59 featuring Chris Hemsworth, Chris Pratt, and Kris Jenner, all showcasing its Ray-Ban smart glasses and a little chaos in the art world. In the first spot (running during...

AI startup Plot, which helps brands make sense of short-form video content proliferating across social media platforms, has raised $4.1 million in seed funding. Investors include Alexis Ohanian's venture firm Seven Seven Six, XYZ Capital, and Sophia Amoruso from Trust Fund. The cash injection will go toward product development as Plot expands its AI-powered video...

President Donald Trump's stiff 25% import tariffs imposed on Canada and Mexico over the weekend--plus a 10% tariff on Chinese goods--has already triggered counter-tariffs, trade wars, and threats of legal cases. Mexico's tariffs have been delayed by one month, Bloomberg reported. For marketers whose brands want to continue doing business with the U.S.'s three major...