CDP Institute

Google’s recent earnings report is not only bullish about AI Overviews, which boast two billion monthly users; it also says the new feature has not reduced traditional search. Google CEO Sundar Pichai said AI Overviews, if anything, encourage more searching. This is at loggerheads with a recent report from Pew Research that says users are less likely to click on links when an AI summary appears in the results.

European customer engagement platform SALESmanago has acquired Thulium, an AI-powered, ecommerce-focused customer service solution. Thulium will add omnichannel customer support capabilities to SALESmanago’s B2B and B2C marketing automation offering. The acquisition should also almost double the size of SALESmanago’s customer base.

Ninety-seven percent of respondents to a survey by SocialTrait say AI-generated content should be labeled. Only 1% called for no such disclosure, so that’s not exactly close. Three percent of all respondents said they felt fully prepared to navigate the AI media world (of course, baby boomers are three times less confident than GenZ).

Australian data governance platform Marketsoft is launching IdentityPulse, an identity verification tool with global reach. IdentityPulse powers encrypted identity verification, across borders, without exposing or storing personally identifiable information. It is live across 21 markets including the U.S., Canada, U.K., France, Spain, South East Asia and Australia with more to come.

The average enterprise marketing and marketing ops stack boasts some 62 tools, according to a survey of over 200 global CMOs and marketing leaders by LXA. As the figure suggests, enterprises are leaning towards a best-in-breed, composable stack for “agility and precision.” The report does find investment in CDPs; nevertheless, 61% still struggle to activate data effectively.

More than 70% of U.S. teens have experimented with AI-generated virtual friends or romantic partners, according to the nonprofit Common Sense Media. More than half of the over 1,000 teens surveyed use AI companions regularly, a third because they find it entertaining. This comes as Elon Musk’s Grok puts more AI companions on the market.

X is refusing to comply with the demands of French authorities relating to a probe into alleged manipulation of the platform’s algorithm and fraudulent extraction of users’ personal data. X says the probe is politically motivated and an attempt to interfere with free speech. It is far from clear that X’s suspicions allow it to refuse judicial requests.

The British Standards Institution has issued the first global standard for AI audits in a bid to tame the “wild west” of unregulated AI providers. The standard lays out criteria for AI certification rather than addressing the AI solutions themselves. The aim is to ensure both credibility and consistency across AI audit processes.

Reported data breaches increased by 11% in the first half of 2025, putting the year on course to be a record-breaker. With 72 million victims, the breach at student information system PowerSchool was the most damaging, but the overall number of victims has actually declined. No wonder 74% of businesses are planning to improve their cybersecurity, according to a report from Beazley.

The EU’s Code of Practice, intended to outline how to comply with the imminent AI Act’s obligations, is a voluntary framework — so Meta has refused to sign it. Meta claims the Code goes beyond what the AI Act actually provides, as well as creating uncertainties for developers. A range of tech companies, especially those in the AI race, have opposed the legislation and asked for the rollout to be delayed; EU says no.

Adtech platform Innovid has announced an integration that will allow it to support LinkedIn CTV ads. Advertisers will be able to activate these ads within the Innovid platform. LinkedIn’s CTV ad format is a standard option in LinkedIn Campaign Manager, giving access to premium video inventory including streaming publishers, devices, and smart TVs.

As many as 69% of CMOs are unhappy with their inadequate or disconnected tech stacks, according to the 2025 Global CMO Navigator report from Merkle. Seventy percent see a lack of an enterprise-wide strategy for digital transformation. Nevertheless, it’s full steam ahead for predictive capabilities focused on customer needs, with 97% saying they are making those investments.