May 8, 2026  |  SIGN UP

Jim Cooper
DIGIDAY, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

“Cut and paste will get you replaced.” That brief quip made during the second town hall at Digiday’s Programmatic Marketing Summit yesterday  in Plam Spring Calif., summed up the existential conflict between the human and machine – more specifically the hard work of nuanced creativity and just passing AI on as the work – that agency and brand execs find themselves facing.

There are a lot of heavy questions to ponder in that dichotomy. In five years will programmatic associates disappear? How is the business going to deal with waves of AI iterations and updates, which one participant colorfully called ‘a cacophony on bologna?’ The discussion concluded, for now at least, that AI is a tool kit that can be used for good (quality assurance) and bad (confidently wrong) based on the intent of the flesh and bone practitioners deploying it.

“It’s just a Roomba” summed up on speaker. We just have to remember how to sweep up the mess when it breaks. We will publish a comprehensive Overheard piece on Monday from the first town hall  at DPMS this week.

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MARKETING ON PLATFORMS

OpenAI offers ChatGPT ads to new markets including the U.K., Brazil and Japan

Over the coming weeks it will start testing ads in its ChatGPT AI-powered chatbot in the U.K., Brazil, Japan, South Korea and Mexico. Those countries join the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand as markets where advertisers can buy ads in the app.

AI REVENUE GENERATION

Despite enthusiasm over its ChatGPT tie-up, Criteo’s shares slide on downgraded revenue forecast

Predictably, on the company’s earnings call, analysts leaned hard into its partnership with OpenAI — the previous day, Criteo announced that more than 1,000 brands are already live on ChatGPT via Criteo.

PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM GOOGLE AD MANAGER

Live streaming is a borderless $4 billion global opportunity

As publishers are on the hook to deliver a smooth, reliable ad experience to massive, simultaneous global audiences, the only way to hit this kind of scale is with programmatic advertising.

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

Digiday+ Research: Marketers’ AI use rises, but tech skills stall

In 2022, 44% of brand and agency pros said their companies were investing in AI technology. That percentage rose to 57% in 2023 and 71% in 2024, before hitting 86% in 2025.

A MESSAGE FROM NEXXEN

How native CTV is capturing the lean-in moment for advertisers

The NewFronts made one thing unmistakable: CTV has moved decisively into its performance era. The industry conversation is no longer centered on reach alone, but on which formats can most effectively turn attention into action.

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MARKETING ON PLATFORMS

OpenAI opens up ChatGPT ads manager to the U.S. while promising third-party measurement, CPA bidding

The company’s ads and monetization lead, Asad Awan, sketched out what comes next at a press briefing. That includes third-party measurement, he said, but the company doesn’t have partners or an exact timeline.

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

Media Briefing: Publishers cautiously count AI licensing as notable revenue amid programmatic strain, in Q1 earnings

In particular, AI licensing deals with Meta, signed in December 2025, are starting to produce “meaningful” revenue for some publishers, for the first time.

PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM OPTABLE

Why cross-platform measurement is key to optimizing in real time

Forty-four percent of publishers hope agentic adoption will result in direct advertiser relationships. Before publishers can truly benefit from agentic AI, they must become agent-ready with a strong data foundation and a robust identity infrastructure.