Need to Know News - December 6th, 2025
In this week's Need to Know News edition:
🤖 A phantom Peloton "ad" in ChatGPT went viral... giving brands an early glimpse of how AI recommendations could soon work for them.
🤖 Jeep's talking AI animals went viral for all the right reasons... showing how brands can use AI creativity to win attention and praise.
🤖 Amazon's AI chatbot Rufus doubled purchase sessions on Black Friday... while non-Rufus shoppers barely budged.
And a whole lot more!
A Fake Peloton Ad Hints at ChatGPT's Advertising Future
A strange Peloton recommendation popped up in ChatGPT last week, and it looked exactly like an ad. It wasn't. OpenAI confirmed the callout wasn't paid, but the glitch still sparked nearly 500,000 views and heated speculation.
That buzz makes sense when you consider the context: Android code leaks show OpenAI testing ad frameworks, and the company is still unprofitable. For brands watching closely, the hint is useful. Future AI ads will probably feel like helpful suggestions, not banners.
Meta AI Adds Real-Time News From Major Outlets
Meta is plugging live news directly into its AI assistant. Starting now, Meta AI will pull from CNN, Fox News, Le Monde, USA TODAY, and others when you ask about current events. The idea is faster, more balanced answers with links back to original articles.
Real-time events have been tough for AI systems to track, and Meta hopes these partnerships fix that. Publishers get something too....a new way to reach audiences who might never visit their sites directly.
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Black Friday 2025: AI Traffic Soared, But Discounts Stayed Flat
AI traffic to retail sites exploded 805% on Black Friday compared to last year, and shoppers arriving from chatbots converted 38% more often than other visitors. But the deals themselves? Flat.
- Average online discounts held at 28%, unchanged from 2024.
- Order volume actually dropped 1% while prices climbed 7%.
- Buy now, pay later usage rose nearly 9%, which signals stretched budgets more than enthusiasm.
- Retailers offering exclusive in-store perks like Target's free tote bags came out ahead.
Jeep Goes All In on AI-Generated Ads With Talking Animals
A bear leans into a Jeep window and starts talking. Something feels off, and that's the point. Jeep's new ad campaign uses AI-generated visuals on a scale no major automaker has tried before. The fake animals, the morphing vehicles, the weird mouth sync. All intentional.
Stellantis marketing chief Olivier Francois says AI let them use "real" animals that can speak without the risks of live shoots. Critics worry about jobs disappearing. Francois isn't losing sleep over it. For now, he says, no computer can replace him.
Amazon's Rufus Chatbot Doubled Purchase Sessions on Black Friday
Amazon's AI assistant Rufus pulled serious weight on Black Friday. Sessions that included the chatbot and ended in a purchase surged 100% compared to the prior 30 days. Sessions without Rufus? Only 20% growth.
Sensor Tower's data also showed Rufus sessions outpaced total website traffic gains. Adobe spotted a similar pattern across all retail, with shoppers arriving from AI tools 38% more likely to buy.
ChatGPT Referrals to Retail Apps Jumped 28% on Black Friday
ChatGPT sent 28% more shoppers to retail apps over Black Friday weekend compared to last year. But those gains mostly landed with the giants. Amazon grabbed 54% of referrals, up from 40% in 2024, while Walmart jumped from under 3% to nearly 15%. Smaller retailers barely moved the needle.
And before anyone gets too excited about AI shopping, here's the reality: ChatGPT referrals still account for less than 1% of all its sessions. It's growing fast, but it's still a sliver.
Stitch Fix Rebrands With AI Styling Tools and Influencer Content
Stitch Fix hadn't touched its brand in 14 years. That changed last August with a new look, a warmer tone, and a streaming TV campaign called Retail Therapy. The company also rolled out StyleFile, which names your personal aesthetic after a quiz. Think "modern prep" or "classic rebel."
New AI tools let shoppers visualize outfits on photos of themselves, and a TikTok series called Fix My Fit features influencers in unscripted scenarios. Early results look promising. Engagement rates are running two to three times higher than other content.
AI Moving Faster Than Companies Can Reorganize
Companies are rebuilding themselves around AI, but most can't keep up. Microsoft's Lorraine Bardeen says global enterprises are in a full re-architecture cycle. One Microsoft sales agent now books revenue without any human involvement.
Acuity CEO Neil Ashe described a ten-year engineering problem his team solved in 30 days using agentic tools. But then they had to redesign the rest of the workflow to actually capture the benefit. Meanwhile, CFO budgets for AI are shrinking. Only 27% plan to increase spending this year.
Runway Gen-4.5 Takes Top Spot in Video Generation
Runway says they now holds the number one position in video generation. Its new Gen-4.5 model scored 1,247 Elo points on the Artificial Analysis benchmark, beating every competitor. The model handles realistic physics, cinematic lighting, and complex multi-element scenes, all running on NVIDIA GPUs from training through output.
Still, Gen-4.5 struggles with basic logic. Effects sometimes happen before their causes, and objects vanish mid-frame for no reason. Runway knows it. The company is already working on fixes as it pushes toward more accurate world models.
Thanks for reading.
Until next time!
The AI Marketers
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