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Meta reported European advertising revenue grew 18 percent year-on-year in the third quarter, down from previous quarters and well behind 33 percent growth in the US and Canada. The company introduced a Less-Personalized Ads option across the EU this year after regulators fined it €200 million for violating Digital Markets Act rules requiring a lower-data alternative to personalized ads.
Netflix stock dropped to its lowest level in more than two years following its Q3 2026 earnings report. The company lowered its advertising revenue guidance for 2026, with co-CEO Greg Peters attributing the shortfall to a slower-than-expected rollout of certain ad products.
The New York Times reports that AI-generated advertising has become a major component of US midterm campaign spending, totaling more than $137 million so far—nearly a quarter of the $565 million spent on House and Senate ads, per Wesleyan Media Project research. Researchers identified over 220 AI-made midterm ads, roughly 80 percent produced by Republican-aligned groups and 20 percent by Democratic-aligned ones, including an Oklahoma PAC ad depicting AI versions of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump without disclosing its AI origin.
Observations from New York City ad placements show subway, bus shelter and billboard advertising increasingly dominated by artificial intelligence products, with many of the images themselves AI-generated rather than photographed. A lens maker's marketing planning process is cited as an example of leading with meaning rather than product specifications. Multiple industry panels this year have focused on determining how much AI involvement is appropriate in creative work.
Smart TVs widely employ a technology called Automatic Content Recognition (ACR), which captures frequent screenshots to identify what users watch across built-in apps, streaming services and connected devices like consoles. Beyond viewing content, TVs can also collect IP addresses, Wi-Fi network details, app usage patterns, and short audio clips from voice remotes or assistants.
Apple has opened a claims website for customers eligible under its $250 million settlement over false advertising claims about AI features promised for the iPhone 15 and 16. The lawsuit, brought by Clarkson Law Firm, alleged Apple advertised Apple Intelligence capabilities that weren't actually available at launch; eligible buyers can expect payouts between $25 and $95 per device. The court gave preliminary approval in July, and a later order moved the final approval date up by seven months.
Political campaigns have spent $137 million on AI-generated advertisements ahead of the midterm elections, but only 27% of those ads included a disclaimer noting AI involvement. Spending data shows Republicans outpacing Democrats in using AI-generated ad content, while Democratic campaigns have shown more hesitation, reportedly over concerns about voter backlash.
A federal judge's temporary restraining order barred government-funded Trump ads from airing starting 6:45pm on October 11, citing likely violations of a law against government propaganda. Despite the order, the ads—including spots about immigration, Iran, and Maduro's capture—continued through the night and into October 12. A US attorney later apologized, saying agency counsel didn't see the order until the next morning due to a delayed email forward.
Apple released a chaotic three-minute commercial for its new HomeView smart display, showing a family of five navigating a frantic morning with spilled food, lost keys, thermostat squabbles, and a security-camera reveal of a daughter's secret boyfriend. The ad departs from Apple's usual polished aesthetic, and reactions have split sharply between confusion and recognition. Parents of teenagers, including several tech journalists on Threads, say the scene closely mirrors their actual mornings.
A super PAC running ads meant to influence Maine's Senate race reportedly aimed its campaign at the wrong Portland, targeting Oregon's largest city instead of Maine's. The mix-up means the ad spending likely reached an audience with no stake in the Maine election.
Meta's Muse, an AI agent unveiled at Meta Connect, can send emails, book travel, fill out forms and make purchases on a user's behalf through a dedicated virtual machine. Meta said it will expand Muse to AI glasses, computer use and commerce connectors, and TechCrunch reported the company is also linking Muse to Slack, Canva, QuickBooks, Notion and Meta ad accounts for small businesses.
A demonstration described in the piece shows how websites can assign visitors a persistent 'fingerprint' based on device and browser characteristics, a tracking identifier that remains consistent even after clearing cookies or using a VPN, though it changes across different devices or browsers. The technique relies on JavaScript-based scripts run via ad networks, and the author notes that disabling JavaScript blocks this specific method, though network-level tracking can still occur. The piece frames this as a successor to third-party cookies, which became harder to use after EU-driven consent banner regulations.