Is Apple Finally Entering the AI Race?
Plus: The AI fashion ad uproar, Beehiiv is buzzing, and HubSpot's big AI deal.
đ Happy Tuesday AI Marketers. Apple CEO Tim Cook is rallying his troops for battle with a new AI team and a new plan. A major fashion magazine has become ground zero for the AI ad debate. And HubSpot may be delivering the most useful AI yet for marketers. Letâs get you caught upâŚ
Appleâs New âAnswersâ Team Enters the AI Race
Apple has long resisted the idea of a homegrown chatbot, but now seems to be reconsidering. A newly formed team dubbed âAnswers, Knowledge and Informationâ is exploring an Apple-built conversational search experience to rival ChatGPT. As OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and others continue racing ahead, this may be Appleâs only chance to catch up. But with regulators threatening to blow up its $20 billion search deal with Google and an exodus of its AI leadership, the once invincible tech giant is against the ropes.
AI-Generated Fashions Ads are Causing an Uproar
Vogueâs controversial Guess ad featuring an AI-generated model is reigniting deeper ethical debates around artificial diversity and authenticity. Beyond just cheaper production, the backlash highlights the displacement of creative talent, from photographers and stylists to human models whose likenesses risk becoming training data for their AI replacements.
Is Beehiiv the New Substack?
As AI search continues its assault on organic traffic, more brands, journalists and creators are turning to newsletters for audience growth. Substack may have a sizable lead in the newsletter space (and a recent $100 million funding round) but Beehiivâs revenue is growing fast and so is its influence. With CNNâs Oliver Darcy, WSJâs Joanna Stern, and even Substack co-founder Hamish McKenzie on the platform, Beehiiv isnât showing any signs of slowing down.
Ads Could be Invading Alexa+ Conversations
Amazonâs brand-new AI-powered voice assistant is still rolling out to early users, but CEO Andy Jassy is already considering ads squeezed into Alexa+ interactions. Ads could be essential to finally making Alexa profitable after billions lost, but they could also backfire. With privacy and user trust at stake, turning casual chats with Alexa into marketing interruptions might be a terrible idea.
CMOs Agree: Yesterdayâs Marketing is Over
Marketing leaders from Microsoft, Unilever, Samsung, and others gathered to tackle a core truth: AI isn't just about productivity hacks. Itâs about redefining what marketers even do. Theyâre evolving into hybrid creative-technologists. Brands like Unilever now have tools like "Brand DNAi," giving AI a pivotal role in brand control and consistency. Bottom line? If your marketing feels like yesterday, youâre already behind.
Now you can ask your CRM anything. HubSpot just launched a direct integration with Claude, the first between a CRM and a leading LLM. Use natural language to ask about deals, contacts, and tickets. Get charts, summaries, and insights on the spot. This is the kind of AI utility marketers have been waiting for, but will concerns over data security and privacy keep brands on the sidelines?
đď¸ My top 3 podcast episodes this week:
EXIT FIVE B2B MARKETING PODCAST
Scaling B2B Marketing at an AI Startup (Channels, Content, & AI Video)
Dave Gerhardt talks with Holly Xiao, Head of B2B Marketing at HeyGen, about how her lean team drives enterprise pipeline using AI video, webinars, events, and YouTube. Holly shares why traditional SEO is declining and practical tips for structuring marketing teams to succeed with fewer resources.
HARD FORK
Age-Gating the Internet + Cloudflare Takes on AI Scrapers
Casey and Kevin examine the complications with Britain's new internet age-verification law, why these seem to be popping up everywhere, and the unintended consequences. Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince also joins to discuss his company's initiative to protect publishers from AI scrapers.
MASTERS OF SCALE
The New Art and Science of Marketing with Knownâs Founders
When Ross Martin and Kern Schireson founded Known, they threw out the old marketing rule book. Here, they join host Jeff Berman to reveal how their success relies on innovative AI and humans working together and how theyâre generating serious results without massive budgets.
Have a favorite podcast to recommend? Shoot me the details.
đ¨ AI-forward companies are looking for AI-forward marketers:
Director of Marketing
A.Team
Build a marketing engine from scratch, educate enterprises on actionable AI, and turn wins into compelling case studies and crossâfunctional goâtoâmarket strategies.
Details â
Performance Marketing Lead, AI Adoption
Atlassian
Drive the growth of Rovo, Atlassianâs AIânative teamwork assistant, by crafting integrated campaigns, optimizing fullâfunnel growth, and increasing active usage.
Details â
Product Marketing Lead, AI
Snowflake
Looking for a technical marketer to lead goâtoâmarket plans for Snowflakeâs AI offerings and position the platform as a leader in enterprise AI.
Details â
Senior Manager of Growth Marketing, Handshake AI
Handshake
This role focuses on expanding and nurturing a community of AI experts by designing growth marketing initiatives that attract researchers and domain specialists.
Details â
Specialist I, AI and Marketing Intelligence
Nelnet
In this role you will analyze marketing data across channels and optimize performance while integrating AI for reporting, personalization, and campaign automation.
Details â
đ Join AI marketers around the world for conferences, summits, and industry events.
Digital Summit
Minneapolis, MN, August 6â7
CDAO
Chicago, IL, August 7â8
Ai4
Las Vegas, NV, August 11â13
eTail
Boston, MA, August 11â14
AI Accelerate
San Diego, CA, August 20â21
WordCamp
Portland, OR, August 26â29
Contact.io
Denver, CO, August 27â29
Have an event to add? Send me the details.
