September 18, 2026  |  SIGN UP

Jim Cooper
DIGIDAY, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The last ten days have been a bonkers news cycle around AI. We had prognostication that AI could wipe out humanity in a few terrifying scenarios by the end of the decade. The leader of the free world subsequently called the AI concern a hoax.

Now, The New York Times is accusing OpenAI of stealing content to train its agents in what it claims has been a much more brazen way than previously known. "An astonishing theft of unprecedented proportions," the NYT alleges in a court document.

With all that head spin as backdrop, we’re trying to stay in our lane on AI news. This week we report that publishers continue to tap AI to fight back against AI, creators are adding AI citation data into their brand pitches and agencies are weighing how to afford tokens – some are anonymously suggesting passing that cost to clients. We’ll see how that goes over.

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THE BUSINESS OF AL

Inside the complex anatomy of agency AI bills

The makeup of an agency’s AI bill is getting more complicated. Agency execs say AI costs are growing and metered model usage is becoming a trend, forcing execs to take a closer look at AI expenses and who foots the bill. 

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

Future of Marketing Briefing: Creators are learning to pitch AEO, not just audiences

Some lean on creators more than others, but across the board, creators have become one of the more interesting inputs feeding AI-generated answers.

PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM BLUEPEAR

Why independent measurement is essential for evaluating incremental growth

Affiliate marketing credits whoever owns the final link before the transaction — even as brands invest in awareness, content, influencers and media to create demand before the actual purchase.

DIGIDAY PUBLISHING SUMMIT

Axios preps new Axios Direct feeds for AI models, agents as revenue tops 2026 goal

This month Axios will take to market Axios Direct, a new product that will provide Axios’s reporting in the form of content feeds that effectively take the concepts of a Bloomberg terminal and an RSS feed and update them for the agentic AI era.

A MESSAGE FROM MOLOCO

The problem with last-touch for CTV

Measuring CTV on last-touch alone tells only part of the story. Across hundreds of advertisers, 30% of campaigns are significantly undervalued by last-touch models alone.

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AI REVENUE GENERATION

Google rolls out pay-per-value AI licensing program to publishers

The tech giant has been quietly testing a Search Console-based program that pays publishers when their content “significantly” contributes to AI-generated responses across Gemini, AI Overviews and AI mode.

MODERN RETAIL

Walmart adds marketplace data, deeper AI features to Scintilla insights platform

The company announced several new Scintilla features coming next year, including access to marketplace data, customizable dashboards, custom alerts, a deeper version of its Marty agent for Scintilla, and a closer link between the Scintilla data platform.

PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM ARC XP

Publishers turn to social media as AI search impacts content discovery

As AI-powered search reshapes content discovery, publishers are adapting: 53% of Digiday and Arc XP survey respondents said boosting social media presence is their top strategy, just ahead of working with AI search companies (52%).

PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM TALON.ONE

Guide: WTF is agentic commerce?