• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, December 21, 2023

As we wrap up 2023 -- ie. "The Year Of AI" on Madison Avenue -- I asked three former long-time media agency insiders (Sarah Fay, Deirdre McGlashan, Barry Lowenthal) -- and one journalistic skeptic (Bob Guccione Jr.) to participate in a roundtable discussion on the implications -- both good and bad -- for that ad industry's rapid embrace of and integration with AI technologies.

In Part One (below), they dive into both the good and the bad. In Part Two (at bottom) they shoot down my thesis that AI will ultimately lead to a zero sum game, because everyone will have the same super powers as everyone else.

Sarah Fay, currently chairman of Ziff Davis, recently was a partner at Glasswing Ventures, a leading Boston-based VC specializing in advertising and marketing-related AI startups. Before that, Fay was CEO of Aegis North America (now Dentsu Media).

Deirdre McGlashan, who most recently was Chief Media Officer of Stagwell, recently joined AI-powered brand alignment platform BrandGuard as its CMO.

Barry Lowenthal, who previously was the long-time CEO of The Media Kitchen, recently joined AI-powered audience targeting platform Inuvo as president.

Bob Guccione Jr., best known as the founder of SPIN magazine, recently returned as an advisor and contributor, and also operates travel-oriented lifestyle site Wonderlust Travel.

The Roundtable: Part One

The Roundtable: Part Two