Firsthand's Competitive Moat

Michael Rubenstein on how “brand agents” are reshaping advertising, publishing, and the Internet itself

We’ve spent decades trying to make digital advertising smarter. Cookies, pixels, and data exchanges promised personalization but delivered clutter, tracking fatigue, and declining returns. Then came AI, bringing the chance not just to improve ads, but to completely reimagine how brands and audiences interact.

In this episode of The Media Copilot, host Pete Pachal sits down with Michael Rubenstein, Co CEO of Firsthand and one of the original architects of modern ad tech. After helping launch DoubleClick’s Ad Exchange (later acquired by Google), Rubenstein is now building something that feels like the opposite of programmatic advertising, a world where brand “agents” don’t just target you, they talk to you.

Instead of static banners or pre-rolls, these AI-driven brand agents act like adaptive digital representatives that engage, inform, and even create content on the fly. They’re built to live anywhere, inside a publisher’s story, across a retailer’s site, or within a chat experience, meeting consumers wherever they are and responding in real time to what they actually want.

This conversation explores how brand agents are transforming advertising into an intelligent, intent driven dialogue, and what that means for publishers, marketers, and the future of media.

What We Cover:
 • How AI driven brand agents are changing advertising and media engagement
 • Why this new model removes invasive tracking and builds real consumer trust
 • How publishers can use adaptive experiences to grow audience value
 • Why AI represents not automation but communication
 • The cultural and ethical stakes of rebuilding advertising around AI conversations

In Closing
 AI is taking down the old walls of the Internet. The question isn’t whether advertising and publishing will change, it’s whether they can adapt fast enough to stay relevant.

The future, as Rubenstein says, isn’t programmatic, it’s personal.

Connect with Michael Rubenstein:
 🔗 Firsthand.ai
💼 LinkedIn – Michael Rubenstein

X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/mrubenstein99

Listen to the full episode of The Media Copilot with host Pete Pachal and guest Michael Rubenstein on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your shows.
 👉 Visit mediacopilot.ai for more on our classes, insights, and upcoming episodes.

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Produced by Pete Pachal and Executive Producer Michele Musso
Edited by the Musso Media Team 

Music: “Favorite” by Alexander Nakarada, licensed under CC BY 4.0