December 5, 2025  |  SIGN UP

Jim Cooper
DIGIDAY, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

One of the most intriguing – and coming-into-focus – factors of our reporting over the past six months have been the vectors between AI, the creator economy and brand marketing. And that trinity of media investment is only going to become more entwined in the coming new year.

As we reported in an In Graphic Detail piece this morning, Billion Dollar Boy’s The Real Impact of AI on the Creator Economy report found that 79% percent of marketers are planning to increase spend on generative AI creator content, up from 70% in 2023. A further 76% of marketers surveyed said they agree the use of AI will increase total creator economy advertising spend next year.

Most dramatically, for those following the dollars (the U.S. creator economy ad spend is set to reach $37.1 billion this year and increase to $43.9 billion in 2026), a clear majority of marketers (77%) said they plan to divert budgets away from traditional creator marketing to AI-generated creator content in 2026. Read our most important AI coverage here each Friday ICYMI.

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THE CREATOR ECONOMY

In Graphic Detail: Here’s what the creator economy is expected to look like in 2026, including AI

What’s really had a lasting impact on the creator economy this year though, is generative AI. Over the past 12 months, 79% of marketers increased ad spend on generative AI creator content, according to Billion Dollar Boy’s The Real Impact of AI on the Creator Economy report.

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

Future of Marketing Briefing: AI confuses marketers but their own uncertainty runs deeper

The dynamic landed with real force at this week’s Digiday Programmatic Marketing Summit in New Orleans. This moment isn’t about automation muscling out humans. It’s about a shift in which influence sits — technical literacy is the real source of value. 

PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM QUANTCAST

How autonomous AI gives performance marketers a competitive edge

While AI in advertising has promised transformation, for many marketers, it’s felt more like automation than intelligence. Autonomous AI, however, represents a structural shift from systems that optimize after the fact to intelligence that interprets, decides and acts in the moment. It empowers marketers to focus on creativity and long-term strategy.

ZERO-CLICK FUTURE

From lawsuits to lobbying: How publishers are fighting AI

We may be closing out 2025, but publishers aren’t retreating from the battle of AI search — some are escalating it, and they expect the fight to stretch deep into 2026. 

A MESSAGE FROM DIGIDAY+

Save 50% on 3-month Digiday+ membership

From shifting ad budgets to the evolving impact of AI, navigate it all confidently with Digiday+. Save 50% on a 3-month Digiday+ membership — offer ends Dec. 5.

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BRANDS IN CULTURE

Ulta, Best Buy and Adidas dominate AI holiday shopping mentions

Profound's Black Friday Index highlights the 10 most visible brands — that is, the brands appearing most frequently in shopping-related prompts fed to ChatGPT — in a variety of categories like electronics, beauty and toys.

GENERATIVE AI

Newsweek is building an AI Mode-like experience to customize homepages for readers

The goal is to create a more conversational, AI-driven homepage that will function more like a utility for users, boosting time spent on-site and helping counter the drop in search referrals, according to Bharat Krish, chief product officer at Newsweek. 

PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM EX.CO

How publishers build products that create audience habits

AI-powered zero-click summaries are hurting publisher traffic. Great journalism isn’t enough anymore; it needs smart packaging. To stay relevant, publishers need to build experiences that make people want to stay and come back tomorrow.