OpenAI ‘Surprised’ by How Sora is Being Used
Plus: Spotify for marketers, AI for political campaigns, and Meta in your living room.
👋 Happy Thursday AI Marketers. This week’s highlights will have you laughing and cringing. Maybe at the same time. OpenAI’s deepfake social app has (not surprisingly) opened a can of worms. Spotify has created original tunes for marketers. Meta wants to scan your living room. And AI stars in a new political campaign. Let’s get you caught up…
The Sora Backlash: What Did OpenAI Think Was Gonna Happen?
Hours after OpenAI debuted Sora, a social media app that allows users to deepfake each other, a flood of deepfaked characters and copyright violations hit the feed. Nazi SpongeBob and criminal Pikachu clips were trending, offensive content ran rampant, and watermarks were stripped. Sam Altman admitted the response caught him off guard and that concerned users wanted “more control,” which only underscored how little foresight went into the launch.
The company’s reaction felt tone-deaf. Sora’s design made misuse inevitable, yet Altman chalked it up to a learning moment. All the while shifting the conversation to the need for more compute. It’s a revealing look at how AI leaders keep prioritizing speed and scale over social consequences. When the biggest challenge they cite is processing power, not responsibility, it says a lot about where their priorities lie.
A Spotify Album Made for Marketers
As Spotify shakes off headlines about AI-generated tracks flooding the platform, a new campaign developed for Advertising Week New York features real songs from emerging musicians, with a humorous spin. Developed by FCB New York, each video in the tongue-in-cheek “Tunetorials” collection is actually a marketing lesson. From ROI to audience targeting, it’s not your typical playlist. But fans of human creativity will love it.
Why Brands Need Stop AI-Washing
At this year’s IFA tech show, “AI” was everywhere. On fridges, vacuums, even picture frames. Most weren’t using artificial intelligence at all, just sensors and automation dressed up as AI. It’s becoming harder for buyers to tell which products actually use the technology and which ones are just riding the buzzword. For brands, that confusion can backfire fast.
Meta Wants to Scan Your Living Room
Meta’s Hyperscape will let Quest owners scan rooms and host people inside photorealistic replicas of their spaces. The promise of virtual social gatherings that feel real may be tempered by Meta’s troubled history with privacy violations. While the tech opens new doors for entertainment and commercial use, it gives everyday users something to think about before inviting Meta to map every inch of your home.
Taylor Swift Fans in a Tizzy Over AI Promos
Taylor Swift’s new album rollout sparked backlash after fans smelled AI. What began as a scavenger hunt with Google turned into #SwiftiesAgainstAI, as viewers accused her team of using generative video tools without transparency. The uproar shows how quickly audiences can turn on creators who blur the line between art and automation at a time when authenticity is more valuable than ever.
A new ad for Andrew Cuomo’s NYC mayoral campaign features AI-generated scenes of the former New York governor driving an MTA train, washing windows, and trading on the NYSE. The campaign is calling it a positive use of AI in politics, with Cuomo as the subject of a humorous and humanizing narrative. But critics, of course, are calling it slop. What’s your take? Is AI distasteful, disgraceful, or distracting at this level? Should it be reserved solely for entertainment purposes?
🎙️ This week’s podcast picks:
THE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SHOW
Sora 2, Claude Sonnet 4.5, ChatGPT Instant Checkout, & How AI Is Changing Everything
When there’s a big week chock full of tech announcements, this is one of my go-to shows to get caught up. Paul Roetzer and Mike Kaput dig into Sora 2’s creative chaos, Claude Sonnet 4.5’s quiet leap forward, and ChatGPT’s Instant Checkout that could rewrite the rules of online commerce.
THE EXIT FIVE CMO PODCAST
Marketing in the Age of AI: CMOs Separating the Hype from Reality
Three B2B marketing leaders share how AI is reshaping their teams, where it truly adds value, and where human creativity still wins. The conversation covers overhyped use cases, real success stories, and how CMOs are using AI for insights, strategy, and creative leadership.
UNCANNY VALLEY | WIRED
Big Intv: Patreon CEO Jack Conte Wants You to Get Off the Content Treadmill
Jack talks about sustaining creators beyond clicks, why keeping Patreon private fuels creative freedom, and how technology can help artists earn what they deserve. Recorded live in San Francisco, this interview offers an honest look at the economics of creativity.
Have a favorite podcast to recommend? Shoot me the details.
🚨 AI-forward companies are looking for AI-forward marketers:
Head of AI Marketing
Camber Partners
Lead Camber Partners’ AI GTM enablement function, connecting LLM engineering with SaaS portfolio teams. Translate experiments into playbooks, design prompt workflows, train teams and build growth systems across multiple startups.
Marketing Leader
Auxo AI
Build and scale marketing at fast‑growing Auxo AI. Lead brand and growth strategy, drive demand and revenue through multi‑channel campaigns, and establish category leadership for its Damia AI orchestration platform.
Founding Marketing Lead
Novita AI
Become founding marketer at Novita AI. Own brand, community and growth marketing for AI infrastructure, craft narrative, run multi‑channel campaigns, build community, and partner with sales to drive adoption.
Senior Product Marketing Manager
OpenMind
Own narrative for frontier tech at OpenMind. Run content and social channels, orchestrate events and PR, partner with product teams to launch features, and translate complex AI into engaging stories.
AI Content Marketer
Reforge
Join Reforge to pioneer Answer Engine Optimization. Build an AI‑first content engine using ChatGPT, Midjourney and more. Create multi‑format content, master new tools, and drive measurable business impact.
📅 Join AI marketers these upcoming events:
Digital Marketing World Forum
New York City, NY, October 13–14
Gather with senior marketing leaders to explore the latest in digital strategy, data, CRM, AI, social media, search and content. With over 80 speakers and more than 1,000 participants expected.
Ahrefs Evolve
San Diego, CA, October 14–15
Join 600+ marketers for two days of ideas, insights, and connection covering AI’s impact on search and marketing, content strategies that drive revenue, technical SEO, conversion optimization and performance analytics.
SparkTogether
Seattle, WA, October 15–16
A storytelling‑focused marketing conference hosted by SparkToro. Taking the stage are top growth marketers and founders who run startups, agencies, and marketing teams hand-picked by Rand Fishkin and Amanda Natividad.
Have an event to add? Send me the details.
