Need to Know News - May 15th, 2025
In this week's Need to Know News edition:
🤖 YouTube’s new Gemini AI feature tracks when your attention spikes...then drops in an ad you’re most likely to click.
🤖 An AI-powered compliance tool now flags risky marketing claims before regulators do...and suggests the fix on the spot.
🤖 ChatGPT just fixed one of it's most frustrating flaw.
And whole lot more!
Main Street Gets AI Makeover as Software Shakes Up Small Businesses
Small businesses are turning to AI not just for cost savings, but for clarity, resilience, and peace of mind in an unpredictable economy. With 35M SMBs driving 44% of U.S. GDP, tools like TakeUp AI are delivering real-world impact. one B&B added two rooms using dynamic pricing.
Homeowners using Luminest’s AI discovered expired smoke detectors and efficiency upgrades tailored to their climate and bills. As 1848 Ventures’ managing partner Kal Amin puts it: “AI is additive, not dilutive.”
OpenAI Just Fixed ChatGPT's Most Annoying Business Problem
ChatGPT’s Deep Research tool can now export fully formatted PDFs. They're complete with tables, citations, and image.
Available to Plus, Team, and Pro users (coming soon to Enterprise), the feature fixes what many called the tool’s most frustrating flaw. It makes research portable, archivable, and shareable. Most crucially, uploadable into other AI tools
REVEALED: 5 "Copy Blocks" Behind Every Million-Dollar Campaign
Two $100+ million copywriters discovered what REALLY drives conversions—5 simple building blocks arranged in a specific order. This framework is so powerful that beginners are generating 5-figure profits with it. And you can learn the full system in just 33 minutes.
Discover All 5 'Copy Blocks' Now
Amazon Just Unleashed AI Ads That Know Exactly What You're Watching
Amazon just launched AI-powered ads on Prime Video that respond to the exact scene you're watching. One format—called “pause ads”—uses AI to match ad copy with the show’s mood or dialogue in real time. Another format lets viewers shop instantly using live Amazon store data.
88% of Prime viewers already shop on Amazon, and ad-supported watch time is up 40%. With 300M U.S. users, Amazon says these ads are “extensions of entertainment”—not interruptions.
Meta Delays Release of its 'Behemoth' AI Model
Meta has delayed the release of its massive “Behemoth” AI model, originally planned for April, now pushed to fall or later. Engineers are struggling to show meaningful gains over past models. Behemoth was meant to serve as a foundation—or “teacher”—for smaller models like Llama 4 Scout and Maverick, which have already launched. The delay raises questions about Meta’s pace in the AI race, especially as rivals push forward with faster, more agile releases.
Cohere Hits $100M Run Rate by Ditching Big AI Models for Private, Profitable Ones
Cohere has hit $100M in annualized revenue after pivoting to secure, customized AI tools for finance, healthcare, and government. Roughly 85% of revenue now comes from private deployments, with profit margins near 80%. CEO Aidan Gomez called this shift a move away from large models toward “tailored enterprise AI.” In January, the company launched North—a ChatGPT-style assistant for summarizing documents—now in testing with RBC and LG.
YouTube’s Gemini AI Now Knows the Best Time to Show You an Ad
YouTube is testing “Peak Points,” a new Gemini AI feature that finds when viewers are most focused—and places ads right after. It studies video frames and transcripts to pinpoint attention spikes. That means better timing, more clicks, and higher revenue for creators.
“Peak Points” is still in pilot, but will roll out later this year. The move shows how YouTube is using AI to boost ad performance without showing more ads. Just smart ones.
Why this Marketing Technology Company Just Bought an Agency
XPON, an AI marketing tech firm, acquired Alpha Digital to test its AI tools on real client campaigns. The $1.72M deal lets XPON plug its prediction and automation tech into Alpha’s workflow. CEO Matt Forman said this will help “test and validate things a lot faster.” Alpha works with brands like Target and K-Mart, but had no AI engine—until now. Forman sees this as step one in a long-term M&A strategy to embed AI directly into digital marketing ops.
Fox Unveils OneFox: An AI-Powered Ad Engine Built for Every Screen
Fox just launched OneFox, an AI platform that runs ads across Fox Sports, News, Entertainment, and Tubi. It uses machine learning to match ads with content based on viewer behavior and context—no identity data needed. Built by AdRise, the platform predicts which content will hit campaign goals. Advertisers can plan across TV, digital, and live streams from one place.
“We’re seeing growing demand for AI-driven audience modeling,” said Fox exec Stephano Kim. Real-time insights show results like brand lift and sales impact, aligning every ad to a business outcome.
StarCompliance Launches AI-Assisted Marketing Compliance Review Solution
StarCompliance just launched an AI-driven platform that reviews marketing content for regulatory risk. It flags unapproved claims and suggests the right disclosures, using a firm’s own compliance library. It works across formats like PDF, PowerPoint, and Excel. Teams can comment and edit inside the app while tracking changes.
The system also routes each piece based on fund type or rules like SEC vs. FINRA. “This gives firms the confidence to move quickly while staying compliant,” said Chief Product Officer Kelvin Dickenson. Everything is logged, versioned, and audit-ready.
Box Announces New AI Agents to Work with Enterprise Content
Thanks for reading.
Until next time!
The AI Marketers
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