What you need to know this week in AI + Marketing in 15 seconds:
ChatGPT 5.2 dropped - stronger reasoning, better long-context, fewer errors. (The Neuron)
Brands are fighting "AI slop" with real-world experiences - as digital content gets saturated, physical events and experiential marketing cut through when feeds stop working (Digiday)
Shopify launches Agentic Storefronts - merchants can now surface products inside AI conversations while keeping customer relationships (Shopify)
Dollar Shave Club made AI the punchline - their first AI-generated ad leans into the awkwardness instead of hiding it (Marketing Dive)
Learning velocity is the new growth metric - HubSpot research shows high-performing teams operate in tighter feedback loops and test more often (HubSpot)
LinkedIn rolls out B2B advertising tools - makes brand advertising more predictable with AI-assisted planning and forecasting (Search Engine Land)
AI can't fix weak strategy - reminder that tools amplify what's already there, good or bad. Fundamentals still matter most (CMSWire)
More news, tools, jobs, LI posts, and something special I built 🎁 below.
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🔵 TOP AI + MARKETING NEWS/GUIDES
How AI changed marketing strategy this year
Behind the scenes of AI’s “alternative realism” moment in marketing
Marketing Brew | ~4 minutes
Brands are experimenting with AI visuals that feel intentionally imperfect. Instead of hyper-realism, this approach leans into slightly off, stylized outputs that signal creativity without misleading audiences. My take: People are fine with AI as long as it doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not.
How AI is reshaping influencer marketing
Influencer Marketing Hub | ~6 minutes
AI is being used across influencer discovery, pricing, content planning, and campaign reporting. The article highlights both efficiency gains and growing concerns around authenticity and creator trust. My take: Influencer marketing still lives or dies on credibility. AI should stay backstage.
Four steps to building real AI skills without waiting on leadership
MarTech | ~5 minutes
A practical guide for marketers who want to upskill now. It focuses on hands-on experimentation, learning through use, sharing results, and building momentum without formal mandates. My take: The fastest learners right now aren’t waiting for a roadmap.
Digital experience in 2026 will be shaped by agentic AI and automation
CMSWire | ~6 minutes
Agentic AI is expected to change how marketing stacks are structured, moving from tool-heavy ecosystems to systems that coordinate actions across channels automatically. My take: Fewer tools, more orchestration. That’s where this is headed.
Breaking: ChatGPT “Garlic 5.2” is live
The Neuron | ~3 minutes
A quick breakdown of the latest ChatGPT update, focused on performance improvements and usability rather than splashy new features. My take: The most important AI updates usually feel boring at first.
The marketing reality check CMOs need: emojis, awareness, and AI won’t save you
CMSWire | ~5 minutes
A blunt reminder that AI can’t fix weak strategy, unclear positioning, or poor leadership. Tools help execution, but fundamentals still matter most. My take: AI amplifies what’s already there, good or bad.
The LOOP Marketing Research study
HubSpot | ~7 minutes
Research on how high-performing teams operate in tighter feedback loops, test more often, and learn faster. Speed of iteration shows up as a key competitive edge. My take: Learning velocity is becoming a real growth metric.
OpenAI and Disney announce Sora agreement
OpenAI | ~4 minutes
Disney will explore using Sora for video experimentation, marking another step toward enterprise adoption of generative video in controlled environments. My take: Big brands are experimenting quietly before going big publicly.
Brands turn to experiential marketing to fight AI slop and digital fatigue
Digiday | ~5 minutes
As digital content becomes more saturated, brands are investing in real-world experiences to create memorable moments audiences can actually feel. My take: Physical experiences cut through when feeds stop working.
Building lasting brand equity in the age of AI
BCG | ~8 minutes
BCG argues that AI should reinforce brand consistency, not replace meaning. Trust, memory, and emotional connection still define strong brands. My take: AI can help scale a brand, but it can’t create one.
When AI speaks for us: the new crisis of authorship and identity
CMSWire | ~6 minutes
As AI generates more content on behalf of people and companies, questions around voice, ownership, and responsibility are becoming harder to ignore. My take: Voice is a liability if you don’t know who’s really speaking.
Publishers are hunting for AI prompt data — and TikTok is becoming a source
Digiday | ~5 minutes
Publishers are starting to treat prompts, comments, and social behavior as valuable training data. TikTok, in particular, offers insight into how people actually explore ideas. My take: Prompts are the new search queries.
Dollar Shave Club’s first AI-generated ad makes the tech the punchline
Marketing Dive | ~4 minutes
Dollar Shave Club leaned into AI awkwardness instead of hiding it, using humor to stay true to the brand while experimenting with new tools. My take: Self-awareness goes a long way with AI creative.
🎁 EARLY ACCESS FOR YOU
📱 I built something for SMS marketers!
You know how we all screenshot competitor SMS campaigns and save them in random folders? Yeah, I had way too many of them of those.
So I built what I kept wishing existed: a searchable library where you can actually find that perfect launch text or back-in-stock example when you need it. 1,000+ campaigns from brands like Olipop, Quince, and Rare Beauty, with new ones added every day.
Testing it with 150 people first. Jump on the waitlist if you want in early!
🟣 LINKEDIN POSTS YOU SHOULDN’T MISS
How AI is changing PMM for the better
Margaux Viola - “Boost AI Feedback with Personalization Settings”
Margaux says ChatGPT’s default tone felt supportive but not challenging, so she used custom instructions to ask for honest feedback, challenging her assumptions and surfacing blind spots. The result: better strategy, pushback, and faster decisions.
Angel Brodin - “Two of my favorite often missed features in ChatGPT”
Angel (GTM @ OpenAI) highlights two under‑used features: dictation (speaking long prompts to save time and clarify chaotic ideas) and conversation branching to explore different directions without disturbing the main thread.
Becca Chambers - “Corporate America’s Shift to Storyteller Role”
Becca points out that Wall Street Journal reports a boom in job postings for “storytellers,” a trendy rebrand of communications roles. She argues companies are rediscovering that authentic narratives and trust - not AI‑generated samenes - drive differentiation and business outcomes.
Justina Perro - “Boost SEO with AEO Optimized Content in 2026”
Justina urges marketers to prioritize answer engine optimization (AEO) by rewriting content to answer direct questions, build comparison tables and snippet‑ready lists, and create Q&A pages.
Steve Nouri - “AI Transformation 100 Report”
Steve introduces Glean’s new report, which compiles insights from over 100 leaders on AI implementations. He notes that the biggest transformations occur when organizations fix their workflows first so people trust the tools, rather than letting legacy systems and silos stall progress.
Rachel Roundy - “Optimizing AI Workflows for Efficiency”
Rachel explains that real efficiency comes from knowing which AI tool to use for each step and fluidly stitching them together, not from agentic workflows. She illustrates with her own process - using Gemini for research, NotebookLM for organizing insights and ChatGPT to synthesize narratives - and asks how others are teaching connected workflows.
“When we train teams on AI, we tend to teach tools in isolation. ‘Use ChatGPT for X.’ ‘Use Gemini for Y.’ ‘Use NotebookLM for Z.’ But in practice, the magic and the efficiency comes from a connected workflow that mirrors how humans already think and work.”
🟡 LATEST AI MARKETING TOOLS
AI Ad updates + more in agentic commerce.
TOOL | WHAT IT DOES | WHY IT MATTERS | BEST FOR |
|---|---|---|---|
ChatGPT 5.2 | OpenAI released GPT-5.2 as its newest flagship model with stronger reasoning, better long-context performance, fewer errors, and workflow improvements for spreadsheets, presentations, coding, and tool use. | This update pushes AI closer to real-world work execution and analytic reliability, improving productivity and framing GPT as a generalist engine for knowledge work rather than just chat. | Content/Strategy Teams • Growth Operators • Enterprise Users |
CreatorIQ SafeIQ -AI Brand Safety | CreatorIQ launched SafeIQ, an AI-native brand safety and suitability system that uses multimodal detection and contextual analysis to proactively identify risky or inappropriate creator content before it escalates. | As creator programs scale, brand safety becomes a strategic imperative; SafeIQ offers automated oversight and governance layered into the creator marketing stack. | Brand Leads • Creator Marketing • Compliance/Ops |
Meta AI-Powered Brand & Creator Updates | Meta rolled out AI enhancements to streamline how brands partner with creators, improving content optimization, discovery, and campaign workflows using AI-driven matching and insights. | Brands on social platforms get more predictable, data-informed creative partnerships, tightening the feedback loop between performance signals and creator output. | Social/Content Teams • Brand Partnerships • Influencer Leads |
Shopify Agentic Storefronts | Shopify’s Winter ’26 Edition introduces Agentic Storefronts, letting merchants configure AI-driven storefront experiences that surface products and brand content directly inside AI shopping interfaces while retaining full control of customer relationships. | This signals a shift where commerce surfaces not only on traditional channels but also within AI conversations and agent ecosystems. | Commerce Leads • eCommerce Marketers • Retail Operators |
LinkedIn B2B Advertising Tools | LinkedIn rolled out new tools aimed at making B2B brand advertising more predictable and measurable, helping advertisers plan spend, forecast outcomes, and refine audiences with AI-assisted insights. | B2B marketers gain clearer performance modeling and workflow support inside the world’s largest professional network. | B2B Marketers • Demand Gen • Performance Leads |
⚫️ COOL AI + MARKETING JOBS
Gorgias to Braze: who's hiring this week
Designlab - AI Marketing — Instructor / Mentor (Contract)
Gorgias - VP Marketing
Scale AI - Vibe Marketer
Blueflume AI - Content Marketing Manager
Braintrust - Marketing SME - AI Evaluation (US-Remote)
🟢 EVENT TO CHECK OUT
Leading AI transformation: A fireside chat with the executives defining AI fluency
Zapier, Dec 16 (today!) 1PM ET, Virtual
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