MadTech Daily: Meta Forfeits its Brand Safety Seal; Havas Eyes Dentsu’s Global Assets; TikTok Algorithm Licensing Sparks US Concern

In today’s MadTech Daily, we discuss Meta testing skippable ads on Instagram Reels, AI and social media disrupting Wikipedia traffic, and Meta tightening AI chatbot controls for kids.

In today’s Digest, we cover Meta pulling out of the MRC audit and forfeiting its brand safety seal, Havas eyeing Dentsu’s global assets, and TikTok’s algorithm licensing sparking concern in the US.

In this episode of the MadTech Podcast, ExchangeWire head of marketing Grainne Reid is joined by co-founder & CEO Rachel Smith and Daniel Sichel, managing director at Webtopia. They look into Google’s strategic market status and the inclusion of AI search, TikTok’s plans to cut 439 content moderation jobs in London, and Sharb Farjami’s appointment at Reddit. They also discuss regulation in the ad tech ecosystem, the dangers of AI reliance in content moderation, and advertising opportunities in community-led environments.

In today’s MadTech Daily, we discuss the ad industry unveiling the new AdCP standard for agentic AI, major publishers facing a wave of patent lawsuits, and Walmart teaming up with OpenAI for AI-first retail.

In today’s MadTech Daily, we cover WPP striking a USD$400m AI deal with Google, Spotify partnering with Netflix on video podcasts, and Google offering search fixes as an EU fine looms.

In today’s Digest, we cover Publicis raising its forecast again as AI fuels growth, California moving to govern AI chatbots, and the EU striking a compromise on sustainability reporting.

In today’s Digest, Nine and Paramount-Ten’s ad sales merger talks, Perplexity’s decision to pause new ad sign-ups, and the European Commission’s review of child safety on major platforms as UK MPs call to probe job cuts to TikTok’s content moderation team.

In today’s MadTech Daily, we cover the CMA designating Google strategic market status in search, India piloting AI chatbot-led e-commerce, and Reddit making a major Madison Avenue hire.

In this MadTech Podcast AI special, ExchangeWire editor Aimee Newell Tarín and COO Lindsay Rowntree are joined by Joris Knetsch, EVP at Prose on Pixels, APAC. They discuss the opt-out model in OpenAI's video generation platform, Sora, US concerns about Chinese DeepSeek models, and regulations in China's AI landscape. The conversation dives into IP and content rights, notions of privacy and accuracy in Asia and the West, and authentic versus synthetic content.

In today’s MadTech Daily, we discuss ITV launching its GenAI Ads Manager, the UK ad regulator trialling AI monitoring, and New York City suing social media firms for allegedly addicting kids.