Artificial Intelligence

Democracy dies in darkness, but also in newspaper layoffs; The Trade Desk loses its CFO (again); and start saving up for ChatGPT ads now.

Ads were going to be a “last resort” for ChatGPT, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman promised two years ago. Now, they’re finally here. Omnicom Digital CEO Jonathan Nelson joins the AdExchanger editorial team to talk through what comes next.

Enjoy this weekly comic strip from AdExchanger.com that highlights the digital advertising ecosystem … 

ChatGPT’s initial ad rollout didn’t come as a surprise. Now, advertisers are figuring out how to make the most of this new channel.

Everyone has an opinion on OpenAI’s revenue prospects; Threads rolls out ads universally; and sports are a bastion of strength for Paramount.

Retailers court luxury goods to compete with Amazon; indie agency Tombras acquires Opinionated; and talk of an AI bubble dominates discussion at Davos.

Ad industry experts call out trends to watch in 2026 and separate the real AI use cases having an impact today from the AI hype they heard at CES.

Meta cuts its metaverse investment by 30%; Netflix makes a renewed push in the gaming market; and the rush to slap an AI label on everything is placing existing ad tech under renewed scrutiny.

No brand safety? No problem. The Onion’s CMO Leila Brillson shares how the iconic satire site is expanding beyond pithy headlines into documentaries and also helping other brands find their snark – all while staying far, far away from generative AI.

Unusual, a new AI discoverability startup, analyzes how brands appear within AI search and provides suggestions on how to better rank.

Enjoy this weekly comic strip from AdExchanger.com that highlights the digital advertising ecosystem … 

Amazon touts its Marketing Cloud, but buyers have concerns; OpenAI’s ad biz may face challenges; and in-chat shopping isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Don’t ask whether any other company has created a similar product to yours; the answer is probably yes. But there are other ways to stand out.

If there’s one thing Disney knows how to do well, it’s brand-building. Now, the massive media conglomerate is developing new tools specifically designed to help its advertising clients do the same.

AdExchanger, part of the Chief Marketer Network, is launching Programmatic AI, a new spring industry event debuting May 18–20, 2026, in Las Vegas.

OpenX’s new API suite provides ad buyers with a more detailed view of the bidstream and, as a result, more accurate targeting.

Publishers have been losing 20%, 30% and in some cases even as much as 90% of their traffic and revenue over the past year due to the rise of zero-click AI search.

Publishers can reach relevant audiences at scale and with greater specificity through Optable’s new planner agent.

What’s one data privacy shift or regulation that will most reshape digital advertising in 2026 – and who will be most unprepared for it?

ChatGPT ads might already be here; TikTok’s new ownership deal has marketers spooked; and California unveils a new consumer protection act.

AI search platforms are introducing ads. But if the ads don’t add value and maintain authenticity, platforms risk losing consumer trust.

From headline to punchline, AdExchanger’s weekly comics distill ad tech industry news into something our readers can laugh about. These are our faves of the year.

As brand safety standards evolve and oversight shifts from platforms to third-party vendors, Brittany Scott, SVP of global partnerships at Zefr, explains what the rise of generative AI – and Meta’s decision to step away from MRC brand safety audits – means for the future of media quality.

The generative AI trend generated endless hot takes this year, but the ad industry also had plenty to say about growing competition between DSPs and SSPs. Here are AdExchanger’s top 10 most popular guest columns of 2025 and why they resonated.

AI is fueling advertising, and AI agents are running ads. As we close out 2025, take a moment to listen to this AdExchanger Talks interview with Paul Longo, GM of AI in ads for advertising, for his POV on both of those topics.

Private equity finds ecommerce publishers aren’t worth what they used to be; Salesforce rethinks its faith in agentic AI; and CBS News accidentally encourages people to pirate its content.

The founders of six AI startups offer insights on the founding journey and what problems their companies are solving.

FAO Schwarz is getting into data; ChatGPT is better at driving traffic than we thought; and Honey’s bad behavior might go beyond affiliate hijacking.

Agencies are shifting away from third-party ad tech; ChatGPT is throwing all kinds of monetization spaghetti at the wall; and Axel Springer is looking to buy.

Anthropic’s AI-operated vending machine sparks chaos; ad revenue should remain a top priority; and Roblox has potential for in-game ads – and concerns.