In a move set to reshape the global marketing industry, WPP and Google have announced a five-year, $400 million partnership expansion to accelerate the use of cloud and AI technology across creative, media, and commerce. The collaboration, signed at Google’s Mountain View headquarters, marks a decisive step toward an era of intelligent, autonomous marketing systems capable of real-time personalization at massive scale.

The initiative goes far beyond the usual “efficiency through automation” playbook. Its focus: growth through intelligence—unlocking the full potential of generative and agentic AI to craft marketing that adapts dynamically to customer behavior and intent.

AI at the Core of Marketing Transformation

The renewed partnership will see WPP invest heavily in Google Cloud technologies, enhancing its AI-driven marketing platform, WPP Open. With this commitment, WPP aims to fuse Google’s cutting-edge AI stack with its own creative and strategic expertise—turning data, design, and decision-making into a seamless, automated process.

“Our evolved partnership with Google will redefine what’s possible for our clients,” said Cindy Rose, CEO of WPP. “We’re accelerating innovation across every facet of marketing—delivering bespoke AI solutions, hyper-relevant campaigns, and unparalleled growth.”

Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud, echoed that vision:

“By enabling WPP to innovate on our AI-optimized technology stack, we’re creating the future of marketing technology—today.”

Building Bespoke AI for Every Brand

At the heart of the collaboration is a new generation of custom AI models built with Google’s Gemini and powered by Google DeepMind. These systems will drive precision marketing through:

• Tailored AI Solutions: Built for individual client challenges, combining Google’s AI power with WPP’s creative strategy. Examples like AKQA’s “The Generative Store” already showcase dynamic, personalized retail experiences driven by Vertex AI.

• Rapid Model Development: WPP Media’s Open Intelligence can now build audience models with unmatched speed and accuracy, translating to real-time campaign optimization.

• Privacy-First Data Collaboration: Using InfoSum’s Bunkers on Google Marketplace, integrated into WPP Open, ensures privacy-preserving analytics without moving customer data.

Reinventing Creative Production

The deal grants WPP early access to Google’s newest AI tools, including Veo and Imagen, which promise to revolutionize video and image production. Campaign-ready assets that once took weeks now take days—yielding 70% efficiency gains and a 2.5x boost in asset utilization.

This shift represents more than time saved—it’s a transformation in how creativity scales. AI-generated content will allow global brands to adapt campaigns to multiple markets, languages, and audiences with unprecedented speed.

Shaping the Future Workforce

Beyond technology, the partnership focuses on talent. WPP’s Creative Technology Apprenticeship will expand significantly, with Google joining as the primary curriculum partner. By 2030, more than 1,000 creative technologists will be trained in generative AI, creative coding, and robotics—skills essential for the AI-first marketing era.

AI Inside WPP

The partnership also reimagines how WPP itself operates. Integrating Google AI into internal workflows will streamline analytics, optimize resource management, and improve collaboration across its vast global network. The result: faster insights, quicker delivery, and greater value for clients worldwide.

A Shared Vision for the AI Era

Lorraine Twohill, Google’s SVP of Global Marketing, summed it up:

“Together, we’re redefining what storytelling looks like in this new era. By building with Gemini and testing within Google’s own marketing ecosystem, WPP clients gain a real-world advantage that translates directly into business growth.”

As AI continues to evolve from a co-pilot to an autonomous marketing engine, this partnership positions WPP and Google at the center of a transformation that could redefine the industry.

The message is clear: in the future of marketing, AI won’t just assist—it will lead.

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KERV.ai has teamed up with Amazon Ads in a groundbreaking collaboration that merges AI-driven interactivity with one of the world’s largest ad ecosystems. For the first time, advertisers can pair KERV’s commerce-driven video creative with Amazon’s premium inventory and audience insights, enabling highly personalized and shoppable ad experiences across Connected TV (CTV) and Online Video (OLV).

The integration marks a pivotal step toward the future of interactive commerce media, where video isn’t just a storytelling tool—it’s a sales engine.

Turning Streaming into Shopping

Through the new partnership, brands can now “KERV” their ad assets directly within Amazon campaigns. This means advertisers can deploy interactive, AI-enhanced, and shoppable videos across Amazon’s ecosystem—including Prime Video, Freevee, Fire TV, IMDb, and select premium third-party publishers.

The activation process is seamless. Advertisers can integrate KERV’s technology through Amazon DSP accounts, private marketplaces, or direct IOs with Amazon. This flexibility makes it easier for marketers to enhance their campaigns without changing their existing workflow.

The result: ads that collapse the customer journey from awareness to purchase, turning passive viewing into active engagement.

A New Layer of Interactivity

The collaboration brings KERV’s patented AI and commerce intelligence to Amazon’s rich audience data, helping brands transform standard video ads into dynamic experiences. Shoppers can now engage with on-screen products via QR codes, product carousels, and interactive overlays—all while staying within their favorite content.

Advertisers can use these tools to:

• Boost brand awareness and share of voice

• Highlight new product launches and seasonal offers

• Dynamically adapt messaging to audience context

• Drive measurable outcomes across the full marketing funnel

“Today’s audiences don’t just want to watch—they want to participate,” said Marika Roque, Chief Innovation Officer at KERV.ai. “Interactive TV has shifted from novelty to necessity. Our 2025 Shoppable TV Insights report found that 35% of consumers engage with shoppable ads when the experience feels seamless and relevant. Through this partnership, brands can now combine KERV’s interactive formats with Amazon’s unparalleled scale and audience data to capture attention and drive performance.”

Redefining Commerce Media

This partnership pushes KERV.ai’s mission forward: to redefine how audiences interact with media. By combining Amazon’s massive reach and data intelligence with KERV’s award-winning AI-driven interactivity, advertisers can move beyond traditional video formats into next-generation commerce experiences that deliver engagement and conversion in one motion.

The collaboration reflects a broader industry trend where AI, shoppable content, and audience personalization are converging to create measurable impact. For marketers, this is not just another tech integration—it’s the next evolution of storytelling, where video becomes both the message and the marketplace.

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Analogic Corporation, a global leader in imaging and detection technologies, has entered a strategic partnership with Analytical AI, a pioneer in machine learning for security threat detection. The collaboration aims to co-develop AI-based enhanced detection capabilities for Analogic’s advanced CT aviation security systems, promising faster, more accurate threat recognition and a smoother airport experience for travelers worldwide.

Accelerating AI-Powered Security Innovation

Under the agreement, Analytical AI will work exclusively with Analogic to create CT-based detection algorithms tailored for Analogic’s ConneCT and SeleCT CT systems. These algorithms will focus on identifying explosives, prohibited items, and contraband—key concerns in the evolving threat landscape of global aviation.

The partnership builds on a shared mission: to strengthen aviation security while improving operational efficiency and passenger flow. By integrating AI-driven Automated Threat Recognition (ATR) directly into Analogic’s CT scanners, airports can achieve faster throughput, fewer false alarms, and reduced need for manual inspection.

“The partnership with Analytical AI will accelerate our plans to deliver new, effective, and efficient detection solutions to our rapidly growing worldwide customer base,” said Tom Ripp, President and CEO of Analogic Corporation. “Our CT systems already leverage Open Architecture and AI-based detection, and this partnership will help us deliver improved detection performance with greatly reduced false alarms.”

Deepening a Proven Collaboration

The two companies aren’t strangers to innovation together. Analogic and Analytical AI have previously collaborated on several research and development initiatives, laying the groundwork for this long-term agreement. Their established familiarity with each other’s technology and workflows will significantly reduce product development time—an important advantage in a market that demands rapid adaptation to emerging threats.

“Analytical AI has worked with Analogic for a few years, so this agreement was a natural extension of our relationship,” said Mark Froehlich, Co-founder and CEO of Analytical AI. “Our mission is aligned—to provide the highest level of security while enhancing passenger experience and checkpoint throughput. We’re proud to deliver best-in-class Automated Threat Recognition algorithms for best-in-class CT machines.”

Building Smarter, Safer Checkpoints

As global travel rebounds, airport security faces the challenge of balancing safety with efficiency. Traditional checkpoint processes—manual scans, secondary checks, and slow throughput—are no longer sustainable at scale. AI-powered detection offers a path forward by enabling automated decision-making, real-time adaptation, and continuous learning from new threat data.

The partnership combines Analogic’s decades of expertise in computed tomography (CT) imaging with Analytical AI’s specialization in machine learning and pattern recognition. Together, they aim to set a new industry benchmark for intelligent security screening that keeps pace with both passenger expectations and regulatory demands.

Shaping the Future of Aviation Security

Beyond technology, this collaboration reflects a larger industry shift toward open, AI-enabled architectures—systems that can evolve quickly through software updates and data-driven learning rather than hardware overhauls.

For airports and governments, the benefits are twofold: higher security performance and lower operational disruption. For passengers, it means faster screening and a more seamless travel experience.

With this partnership, Analogic and Analytical AI are positioning themselves at the forefront of the next generation of aviation security, where AI doesn’t just assist—it ensures safety at the speed of travel.

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Red Hat AI 3, a major evolution of its enterprise AI platform designed to simplify and scale AI inference across hybrid environments. The platform unifies Red Hat Enterprise Linux AI (RHEL AI), Red Hat OpenShift AI, and the Red Hat AI Inference Server to help organizations move from AI experimentation to measurable business outcomes.

Bridging the AI ROI Gap

Despite billions spent on AI initiatives, most enterprises struggle to see returns. A recent MIT NANDA report revealed that 95% of organizations fail to achieve measurable financial outcomes from AI investments.
Red Hat AI 3 aims to bridge this gap by providing CIOs with a consistent, open, and hardware-agnostic platform to operationalize AI across cloud, datacenter, and edge environments.

Enterprise-Grade Inference with llm-d

At the heart of this release is llm-d, a distributed inference system that redefines how large language models (LLMs) are deployed on Kubernetes. By integrating technologies such as vLLM, NVIDIA Dynamo, and DeepEP Mixture of Experts (MoE), llm-d enables:

• Intelligent model scheduling and disaggregated serving

• Improved cost efficiency and latency reduction

• Cross-platform support for NVIDIA and AMD accelerators

This innovation transitions AI from training-heavy experimentation to scalable, cost-effective inference — the “doing” phase of enterprise AI.

Unified Collaboration with Model-as-a-Service (MaaS)

Red Hat AI 3 introduces a Model-as-a-Service (MaaS) framework that lets IT teams serve and manage models centrally, ensuring compliance and privacy.
Its AI Hub provides a curated catalog of validated models, while the Gen AI Studio offers an interactive environment for model prototyping, testing prompts, and deploying retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) applications.

Laying the Groundwork for Agentic AI

With enterprises shifting toward AI agents, Red Hat AI 3 lays a strong foundation for agentic AI systems through a Unified API layer built on Llama Stack and early adoption of the Model Context Protocol (MCP) — an emerging standard that governs how models interact with external tools.
The platform also introduces a modular AI customization toolkit leveraging InstructLab and Docling for fine-tuning and data processing.

Industry Backing and Strategic Partnerships

The release drew strong endorsements from partners like AMD, NVIDIA, and ARSAT, underscoring its enterprise relevance.
AMD’s Dan McNamara praised Red Hat’s move to production-grade inference, while NVIDIA’s Ujval Kapasi highlighted its alignment with open acceleration technologies.
According to IDC’s Rick Villars, Red Hat AI 3 arrives just as enterprises are shifting “from AI pilots to production outcomes,” marking 2026 as a key inflection point for measurable AI ROI.

By converging open standards, hybrid flexibility, and distributed inference, Red Hat AI 3 represents a decisive step in operationalizing generative and agentic AI at scale. It enables businesses to control costs, maintain sovereignty, and transform experimentation into enterprise-ready performance — all through one unified platform.

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Force Management, a leader in sales effectiveness and revenue acceleration, has launched Ascender AI, a new AI-powered capability within its Ascender® platform. Designed to enhance how sales teams learn, execute, and perform, Ascender AI delivers intelligent, real-time coaching and personalized content recommendations that help sellers reinforce training and improve outcomes across their organizations.

AI-Powered Coaching Meets Proven Sales Methodologies

Built on Force Management’s gold-standard methodologies—including MEDDICC and Command of the Message®—Ascender AI acts as a personal learning assistant for every seller. Unlike generic AI tools, Ascender AI draws insights from proprietary training materials and user learning histories, providing targeted guidance and skill reinforcement.

“Ascender AI acts as a personal learning assistant inside the platform, using our courses, articles, and materials to answer questions and recommend content,” said Morgan Haley, Vice President of Product Development at Force Management. “It’s like a coach and a search tool combined—tailored to each learner’s history to make every seller more confident, consistent, and self-sufficient.”

Scalable Enablement and Real-Time Learning

The assistant is available directly within the Ascender platform, which supports ongoing sales enablement and eLearning across industries. By embedding AI-driven guidance into sellers’ daily workflows, Ascender AI ensures on-demand access to the right knowledge at the right time—helping sales professionals apply training insights to real-world challenges.

“Ascender AI gives sellers instant access to the guidance they need to solve real-world selling challenges,” added Paul Giaconia, Chief Product Officer at Force Management. “It’s like having a personal coach that’s always available—ready to reinforce skills, answer questions, and help sellers apply Force Management methodologies in the moment.”

For organizations, the new feature means scalable coaching, stronger sales alignment, and measurable performance impact.

Three Years of Ascender: A Growing Learning Ecosystem

The launch of Ascender AI marks the third anniversary of the Ascender platform. Since its inception, Ascender has achieved 25% year-over-year subscriber growth, issued thousands of Command Series and Elite Selling™ certifications, and expanded its library to nearly 300 courses across multiple curricula.

“We’re adding new courses each month, along with articles, podcasts, and videos from our subject matter experts every day,” said Giaconia. “The reservoir of knowledge behind our AI tool will continue to grow, making our gold-standard methodologies even more accessible to sellers worldwide.”

Ascender subscriptions are included in Force Management’s enterprise training engagements and available separately for individuals and organizations seeking access to its premium sales curriculum.

With Ascender AI, Force Management brings the next phase of sales enablement to life—merging trusted methodology with intelligent automation. By delivering real-time, context-aware learning within the Ascender platform, the company aims to empower every seller to perform with confidence, consistency, and command.

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FullPAC, Inc., a leading nonpartisan campaign technology provider serving over 5,000 political organizations and nonprofits, has acquired Advocacy Lab LLC, an emerging AI-optimized platform redefining how political campaigns create content. The acquisition strengthens FullPAC’s leadership in AI-driven voter engagement by merging Advocacy Lab’s creative automation tools with RoboCent, FullPAC’s flagship voter outreach solution.

Bringing AI Creativity to Political Campaigning

Founded by a team of Gen Z entrepreneurs, Advocacy Lab enables campaigns to generate high-quality branded content—from social media posts and text messages to direct mail and video assets for TikTok, YouTube, TV, and X—within minutes. Since its summer launch, the startup has onboarded over 600 consultants and campaigns, converting nearly 200 to paid users with minimal marketing spend and no external funding, signaling strong organic traction in the political tech market.

“Advocacy Lab is transforming how campaigns communicate, much like television reshaped political strategy in the 1960s,” said Travis Trawick, CEO and Founder of FullPAC. “By pairing their AI-driven content creation with RoboCent’s voter outreach capabilities, we’re enabling campaigns to deliver personalized, high-impact messaging to voters at scale—for as little as one cent per voter.”

A Unified Platform for Modern Campaigns

The integration of Advocacy Lab’s AI-generated templates with RoboCent’s P2P messaging, voice outreach, voter microtargeting, and direct mail systems creates an end-to-end solution for campaigns seeking both creative efficiency and direct voter access. This synergy offers political organizations the ability to produce, personalize, and distribute campaign materials rapidly—while maintaining strict compliance with election regulations.

FullPAC’s nonpartisan platform, supported by Gold Membership in the American Association of Political Consultants, is trusted by campaigns from grassroots efforts to national organizations. With this acquisition, FullPAC aims to expand its footprint ahead of the 2026 election cycle by offering data-driven, AI-powered tools that empower campaigns to reach and mobilize voters more effectively.

By acquiring Advocacy Lab, FullPAC unites the creative power of AI with the operational efficiency of voter outreach technology—positioning itself as a one-stop platform for modern political campaigning. As AI continues to redefine digital engagement strategies, this move signals a new era for scalable, data-informed political communications.

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The Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA) has officially opened registration for the 2026 OOH Media Conference, set to take place May 11–13, 2026, in Dallas, Texas. The annual event—the largest gathering in the out of home (OOH) advertising industry—will unite marketers, media owners, and creative leaders to explore the future of real-world media.

‘The Human Medium’: OOH’s Power to Connect

This year’s theme, “The Human Medium,” celebrates OOH’s unique ability to create authentic, human-centered moments that drive real connections—whether through a billboard on a morning commute or a mural that becomes a local landmark. As the fastest-growing traditional media channel in the U.S., OOH continues to bridge physical and digital worlds, amplifying the reach of campaigns across mobile, social, and digital channels.

“The OOH Media Conference isn’t just another industry meetup—it’s where marketers gather to see what’s next in the real world,” said Anna Bager, President & CEO of OAAA. “OOH reaches people in ways no screen can—on the street, in transit, and in moments that matter. Attendees will leave with fresh ideas, practical insights, and inspiration for campaigns that do more than get noticed—they get remembered.”

Keynote Lineup: John Morgan, Meredith Counce, and Rishad Tobaccowala

The 2026 OOH Media Conference will feature an impressive lineup of keynote speakers, including:

• John Morgan, Founder of Morgan & Morgan, one of the nation’s largest law firms and a top investor in OOH advertising. In 2024, the firm ranked among the top 10 OOH advertisers, underscoring its belief in the medium’s unmatched ability to drive awareness and measurable results.

• Meredith Counce, SVP, Brand & Marketing for the Dallas Cowboys, who will share insights on brand building, fan connection, and cultural impact from one of the most influential brands in sports and entertainment.

• Rishad Tobaccowala, Author and Senior Advisor at Publicis Groupe, recognized by TIME Magazine as one of five “Marketing Innovators” and celebrated for his human-centered approach to brand transformation and storytelling.

Additional keynote speakers and panels—featuring top brand marketers and creative innovators—will be announced in the coming months.

Connecting the Industry in the Heart of Dallas

The 2026 conference promises three days of ideas, creativity, and collaboration, bringing together the full OOH ecosystem to explore new ways to connect brands and consumers in the physical world.

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At its first-ever JoyConf, Storyblok unveiled a suite of new product features and partnerships designed to help brands manage, automate, and optimize content in the age of AI search.

CEO and Co-Founder Dominik Angerer highlighted the shift from traditional content strategies to AI-driven discovery, noting that outdated or irrelevant content can now harm brand trust. “AI search is the new front door to your brand,” he said. “We’re giving companies the confidence to manage content debt and improve AI visibility.”

Storyblok Strata, launching next year, introduces a vector data layer that maps and connects content to enhance transparency, eliminate redundancy, and improve personalization. By understanding the relationships between content elements, Strata helps brands strengthen AI-driven discoverability and streamline customer experiences.

FlowMotion, arriving in Q1, serves as an automation and integration hub powered by n8n. It connects Storyblok’s CMS to over 500 enterprise tools, allowing users to create visual workflows and automate repetitive tasks—effectively putting “content on autopilot.”

To expand its ecosystem, Storyblok also announced two key partnerships:

• Netlify: Enables instant, global deployment of Storyblok-managed content through Netlify’s AI-native web platform.

• OtterlyAI: Allows brands to monitor and optimize how their content performs across AI search engines, including ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot.

Additional tools on the roadmap include an Enterprise Content Planner (Q4), Global Asset Library (Q1), and Environment Spaces (Q1). A Figma Connect plugin and an open-source React Native Live Preview, developed with Virgin Media O2, will also enhance developer and content workflows.

“All of these innovations turn Storyblok into the single source of truth for all your content,” Angerer added. “In today’s AI-first world, structured content isn’t just about management—it’s about confidence.”

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