The AI Edge Podcast

No guest this week, just Shiv and Myles answering listener questions in their first-ever mailbag episode. And the questions got deep. Will agency jobs disappear or are we headed back to a Mad Men era? What does a fully AI-enabled agency actually look like (and which ones are about to fail)? How do you trust AI to build client profiles when ChatGPT is basically a sycophant telling you everything's brilliant? Your hosts unpack this and so much more. Then things get existential: How can we tell if AI is speeding up good judgment or slowly eroding it? And what AI workflows do Shiv and Myles actually trust enough to use every day at U of Digital? Shiv confesses his secret Claude projects, Myles admits his "workflow" is just opening another browser tab, and they both tackle whether we should be measuring the quality of human judgment before worrying about AI making it worse. Plus: synthetic audiences, B2B data garbage, and why anti-sycophancy technology might be the thing nobody's talking about. New episodes every Monday. Get your AI Edge here. 

Simon Poulton, EVP of Innovation & Growth at Tinuiti, shares his insights on the current AI landscape in marketing. He believes Google has triumphed in the AI platform wars due to its distribution power. The discussion covers the implications of AI-generated ads, why brands should focus on Google for SEO, and the concept of 'context debt' in personalized marketing. Poulton also addresses the practicality of agentic advertising and advises marketers on building meaningful AI tools instead of chasing trends.

In this discussion, Andrew Lipsman, an independent analyst and consultant specializing in media and commerce, challenges the hype around agentic commerce, describing it as a "collective hallucination." The conversation dives into Disney's $1B investment in OpenAI and the implications of licensing beloved IP. They also explore the role of data in retail, urging retailers to reclaim first-party data while evaluating AI-assisted shopping's limits. The notion of autonomous shopping agents is dissected, raising critical questions about the future of retail media.

Heather Macaulay, President of MadConnect, dives into the exciting changes reshaping marketing technology. She reveals how Black Friday 2025 marked a turning point, with AI shoppers proving more effective than ever. Discussing the breakdown of the long-standing divide between AdTech and MarTech, Heather emphasizes the integration challenges many brands face. She shares insights on Amazon's strategies, the requirements for AI visibility, and the importance of quality data—warning that AI can amplify bad data rather than fix it.

Chad Reynolds, Founder and CEO of Vurvey Labs, discusses the revolutionary concept of synthetic audiences created from real human data. He explores how these models can transform market research by allowing brands to test ideas without recruiting actual participants. Chad dives into their effectiveness, the validation process against real behaviors, and the looming question of whether traditional market research will become obsolete. The conversation touches on ethical implications and the future impact on the $50 billion industry. Don't miss these fascinating insights!

Krish Raja, founder of AI Literacy and an AI expert, joins hosts Shiv and Myles to explore the stormy intersection of AI, marketing, and advertising. They discuss the buzz around Coca-Cola’s divisive AI holiday ad and its implications. The trio dives into whether ChatGPT could become an advertising platform, alongside contrasting AI strategies from Amazon and Shopify. Krish emphasizes the importance for marketers to critically assess their AI tools, stressing that evolution in skills is essential for staying relevant in an AI-driven future.