ADWEEK Daily AI, Tech & Money newsletter

Click here to view this email in your browser Welcome back to AI, Tech & Money. This is Kendra Barnett. After a quick jaunt to Miami to check out the inaugural Jupiter Festival, which I found well-sponsored but lacking buzz, I’m dashing off to Marrakech for some time off. But before I log off, let me catch you up on the latest in tech and money moves. Prescription drug brands are now able to advertise in Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode, as my colleague Trishla Ostwal reported exclusively. Elsewhere, The New York Times, The Economist, and dozens more publishers signed onto an initiative to support content licensing deals and track how AI systems use original journalism. It’s becoming clear that the battle over intellectual property between media and AI companies is only intensifying. Privacy-focused changes to Apple’s iOS operating system have found some adtech vendors locked out, theoretically barring them from doing millions of dollars in business. The update is sparking chatter across the industry, and raising bigger questions about where dollars will flow in mobile. Plus, Publicis was the first of the agency holdcos to file its Q3 earnings, tallying a 5% year-over-year surge in organic net revenue on the back of a series of significant account wins. Most recently, the French ad giant clinched PepsiCo’s coveted global media account. Finally, over in the Meta-verse (oh, that’s triggering, sorry), the tech giant is having a bustling start to fall, this week unveiling two frontier models on the heels of its historic Muse AI assistant rollout, and beefing with TikTok. I unpack what’s new with Meta in my feature below, so keep scrolling. A reminder that replies to this email go straight to my inbox, so please share feedback or tips. Alternatively, reach me securely at kendra.16 on Signal. KENDRA BARNETT, SENIOR TECH REPORTER, ADWEEK kendra.barnett@adweek.com | @kendraebarnett If you were forwarded this newsletter, you can sign up here.   THE TOP LINE Google started testing ads for branded prescription drugs in AI Mode and AI Overviews. In EMEA, OpenAI’s strongest marketing channel for enterprise sales is face-to-face. A new job posting suggests OpenAI wants its ads offering to become a permanent fixture on agency media plans. What brands like period tracking app Flo are doing to show up in AI citations. These are the best-funded GEO startups helping brands show up in AI answers in 2026. Netflix is in the process of laying off around 6% of its staff. Publicis boss Arthur Sadoun said “a new race” between the holdcos means client conflict is no longer a dealbreaker. Meanwhile, Havas reports growth in North America, but it lagged in regions like LATAM and the U.K. United is reorienting its ads biz around seat-back screens and Starlink internet access. THE QUANT Video and audio combined account for some two-thirds of Americans’ active time spent consuming media. But they generate the least amount of revenue on a per-hour basis, according to research published this month by Boston Consulting Group. On the other end of the spectrum is location-based entertainment (LBE), which can encompass branded pop-ups, immersive experiences, and arcades. LBE grabs just 2% of active media time but rakes in $3.47 an hour, thanks to ticket sale revenues. Print trails in a distant second place. Meanwhile, gaming and social media produce three to four times the revenue yield of audio, thanks in large part to direct-response advertising and recurring digital spending.   DEEP LEARNING A Meta-Morphosis: Frontier Foray and TikTok Block Meta’s on a hot streak. On Monday the tech giant unveiled two frontier models: Muse Wonder and Muse Wonder Full. They represent Meta’s first true entry to the frontier. In benchmark tests evaluating coding, reasoning, and writing capabilities, the two models achieved scores comparable to cutting-edge models from Anthropic and OpenAI, Meta reported. The cutely packaged Muse personal assistant took