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Your weekly guide on everything AI marketing. Covering everything from AI marketing news, tips, deep dives, events, podcasts, jobs and much more. Never miss a beat with our 5-minute newsletter.
In Today’s Email:
AI advertising backlash highlights creative limits
Major creator economy funding surge
Survey finds marketers plan layoffs amid AI pressure
Plus: a deep dive on regulators forcing platform openness, podcast on 2026 AI strategy, video on how AI is breaking marketing workflows, 4 trending tools and an AI workflow for turning search trends into campaign angles
The Week’s Top Stories
1. AI advertising controversies turn heads for marketers
In 2025 several high profile brands faced backlash over AI-generated ads as audiences reacted negatively to over-automated creative work. Many ads were criticised for feeling tone deaf, uncanny or inauthentic to target audiences. A consumer survey found 39 per cent of US viewers viewed AI-generated ads negatively. The trend has led some brands to scale back AI reliance in creative.
Why it matters: Creative authenticity increasingly matters in advertising. AI can enhance execution but marketers need guardrails to avoid brand damage. 📰 Business Insider
2. Creator economy startups pull in near $2bn in funding
Thirteen creator economy startups raised an estimated $2bn in funding this year driven by AI and social commerce innovation. Eight of the firms raised at least $50m, with platforms like Whatnot valued at over $11bn. Companies supporting influencer-focused commerce and AI content automation were standouts in the list.
Why it matters: Investor appetite remains strong for tools that help creators monetise and scale content production. 📰 Business Insider
3. Survey finds CMOs planning layoffs to deliver AI savings
A major survey found 36 per cent of chief marketing officers plan staff reductions within two years by using AI to cut costs or streamline teams. In companies with revenues above $20bn the figure rises to 47 per cent. Only 3 per cent of marketers report AI being used across all functions, showing that adoption is uneven.
Why it matters: Marketers need to balance efficiency gains with strategic value creation to avoid morale and capability losses. 📰 The Wall Street Journal
4. Helium AI launches tools to streamline presentations and campaigns
Helium AI introduced two new enterprise tools called Mantis and Prism aimed at helping businesses build presentations and plan marketing campaigns more efficiently. The company says the tools reduce fragmentation in creative workflows while keeping brand compliance.
Why it matters: Marketers under pressure to do more with less will look for tools that consolidate ideation and delivery without sacrificing quality. 📰 Times of India
5. Google’s December 2025 core update impacts search visibility
Google rolled out its December 2025 core search algorithm update, the third major update this year, designed to better reward relevant and satisfying content for users. The change could shift SEO strategies for content marketers early in 2026.
Why it matters: Search visibility remains a core traffic driver so understanding algorithm shifts is key for organic strategy planning. 📰 ALM Corp
Quote Of The Week
Artificial intelligence is not a substitute for human intelligence; it is a tool to amplify human creativity and ingenuity."
Context: Regulators are tightening rules on AI, but the winning marketing teams will be the ones that treat AI as a creative amplifier rather than a replacement for human judgement.
The Weekly Deep Dive
Italian watchdog orders Meta to open WhatsApp to rival AI chatbots
Italy’s competition authority (AGCM) has ordered Meta to suspend contractual terms on WhatsApp that could block rival AI chatbots from operating on the platform while a broader antitrust probe continues. The move is part of escalating regulatory pressure in Europe to keep AI ecosystems competitive and prevent large platforms from locking out innovators.
Why the order matters
The AGCM’s decision specifically targets WhatsApp’s business API terms that could exclude non-Meta AI chatbots, arguing such restrictions may harm competition and consumer choice. It is an interim order, meaning Meta must halt these terms now while the full investigation unfolds.
Impact on AI and platform competition
If upheld, the order could set a precedent for how regulators treat dominant messaging platforms integrating proprietary AI services, potentially opening major user bases to a broader set of AI tools. It also increases scrutiny on how integrated AI features may crowd out third-party innovation.
What this means for marketers
Messaging apps are becoming key vectors for customer engagement, commerce, and conversational AI. A more open WhatsApp ecosystem could shift how brands deploy AI assistants and bots to serve audiences directly in app environments.
Our takeaway: Marketers should track platform compliance shifts in 2026 as regulators push for competition in AI distribution channels. Expect possible changes in how AI tools are integrated into messaging experiences and prepare to adapt conversational strategies accordingly.
📖 Read the full article at Reuters
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What To Watch
AI Just Broke Marketing and the New Loop Framework - Marketing Against the Grain
This video explores how AI workflows are disrupting traditional marketing models and shares a framework for future conversions. It calls out outdated practices and highlights how marketers can adapt to more automated, AI enriched funnels. The narrative breaks down what is no longer working and what to prioritise in 2026 - watch it here.
Podcasts
The Artificial Intelligence Show – Episode 188 “AI Trends for 2026, Google DeepMind AI Predictions, Gemini 3 Flash, AI World Models and Are AI Job Losses Overblown?
In this episode, Paul Roetzer and Mike Kaput walk through key AI trends for 2026, from Google DeepMind’s latest predictions to Gemini 3 Flash and the rise of AI world models. They frame what these technical shifts could mean for business strategy and where leaders should focus next year. It is a concise way to brief yourself on the AI themes that will shape your 2026 marketing roadmap without drowning in research reports.
AI Training
Turn rising search trends into scroll-stopping campaign angles
The overview: Use Google Trends to find surging intent signals in your category, then turn those spikes into angles for ads, landing pages and top-funnel messaging.
Step-by-step:
Find rising intent
Open Google Trends and enter your generic category term (example: “recipe apps” instead of your brand) and filter to your target country and the last 90 days.Lift breakout queries
Switch to Related queries and copy five “Breakout” terms that show rapid recent interest, prioritising phrases with emotional or urgency clues.Generate campaign angles
Paste those terms into ChatGPT and ask for three campaign concepts per term that connect the trend to your product’s promise without naming competitors.Craft hook stoppers
Refine the best concepts by asking ChatGPT for punchy hooks that fit TikTok or Meta placements and stay under 8 words.Match value CTAs
Request matching value-based CTAs that support the hook instead of repeating it, then paste them into a doc or your ad library.Stock test angles
Use the remaining trend terms to create future test angles and refresh monthly to stay ahead of competitors relying on static messaging.
Pro tip: Prioritise trends that tap into motivation rather than features because those angles outperform when pushed into short-form placements.
Trending AI Tools For Marketers
Here are 4 trending tools to explore this week. Quick, practical upgrades to your AI marketing arsenal:
🤖 Aident AI – Build multi step marketing and sales automations from plain English and plug campaigns into 250 plus tools without fiddly workflow builders.
🔍 ConnectMachine – Turn your network into a private, searchable AI agent so you can quickly find the right partners, creators or prospects for campaigns without dumping data into another CRM.
🎨 Loki.Build – Generate studio grade, on brand landing pages with AI and then fine tune them in a live editor to ship tests faster without waiting on dev or agency queues.
🧠 Dvina – Link 120 plus apps and your live data into one AI brain that can orchestrate cross channel marketing workflows instead of juggling a stack of disconnected tools.
