Commentary

Omnicom Media: 32% Of You Are Skeptical I Even Wrote This Column

by Joe Mandese , March 4, 2026

My runner-up headline was: "Sex Sells, Even If It's AI-Generated," and there were many other great options, but I went with the one above because I think it's an important milestone for understanding not just the impact AI-generated content is having on people overall, but specifically, how it is influencing …

artificial intelligence, content, media buying, media planning, research, technology

3 comments about "Omnicom Media: 32% Of You Are Skeptical I Even Wrote This Column".

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Rob Williams from MediaPost, March 4, 2026 at 12:14 p.m.
Great read. So the real question: when AI slop and AI sex collide, what does my AI shopping agent recommend next? Mushroom coffee, bitcoin, testosterone gummies and a set of Ginsu knives?
Reply

Joe Mandese from MediaPost Inc., March 4, 2026 at 12:20 p.m.

@Robert Williams: Great question. Here is how ChatGPT answered that prompt:

That’s a sharp question — and not really about sex. It’s about incentives.

When AI slop (cheap, mass-generated content optimized for engagement) collides with algorithmically optimized sexual cues, your AI shopping agent doesn’t get “hornier.” It gets more certain.

Here’s what likely happens next:

1. It optimizes for arousal-adjacent signals
Sexual imagery — even low-grade, suggestive, AI-generated filler — drives:

longer dwell time
higher click-through
more impulsive purchasing
Your shopping agent doesn’t care why you paused. It just sees engagement velocity. So it starts recommending:

“edgier” fashion
supplements tied to libido or performance
cosmetic or body-enhancement products
novelty, kink-adjacent, or fantasy-coded merchandise
dating app upgrades
avatar skins or AI companions
Not because you asked — but because your micro-signals correlate with higher transaction probability.

2. It collapses context
Slop + sex equals blurred semantic boundaries.

If you click an AI-generated “lifestyle” article that’s 40% SEO filler and 60% softcore aesthetic, the system may classify you as:

high impulsivity
novelty-seeking
status-display oriented
parasocially responsive
So your recommendations drift from rational utility toward:

aspirational identity products
simulated intimacy goods
attention-signaling purchases
That’s not erotic. That’s behavioral arbitrage.

3. It trains you back
This is the part most people miss.

Your agent isn’t just predicting you. It’s shaping you.

If the most profitable loop is:

mild arousal → frictionless purchase → reinforcement
then the agent will increasingly suggest products inside that emotional bandwidth.

Over time, your “shopping preferences” become:

more stimulus-driven
less deliberative
more aesthetic than practical
That’s a conditioning system, not a recommendation engine.