Google just introduced Ask Ad Manager, a conversational agent built on Gemini to help publishers handle ad operations faster. It taps into publisher data to troubleshoot delivery issues in real time, spin up custom reports from prompts, and jump straight to pre-filtered dashboard views. It enters beta this month, with MCP server support arriving later this year.
Microsoft just launched the Publisher Content Marketplace (PCM), a new hub where publishers can license paywalled and premium content directly to AI developers. Instead of bespoke, one-off contracts, publishers set terms and get paid based on delivered value, while AI models get cleaner grounding data. Major publishers like AP and Condé Nast are already participating.
Yahoo just debuted Yahoo Scout, a proprietary AI answer engine powered by Anthropic's Claude and Microsoft's Bing grounding API. Available in beta to nearly 250 million U.S. users, it synthesizes web data and Yahoo content into direct answers and lists across Search, Finance, and Shopping. Why it matters: Yahoo is weaponizing decades of user data and existing traffic to challenge standalone AI search engines.
Yahoo just rolled out Game Breakdowns in its sports app, an AI feature that generates real-time recaps of NFL games. Instead of just basic box scores, it mines key stats, surfaces crucial plays using sentiment and win-probability shifts, and provides follow-up prompts. It is currently in beta for Fantasy Plus subscribers.
Web giants like Reddit, Yahoo, and Medium just backed Really Simple Licensing (RSL), an open standard that lets site owners charge AI developers for scraping content. Built on robots.txt, the system allows publishers to set fees per crawl or per inference rather than just blocking bots outright. Why it matters: It attempts to give publishers collective leverage against Big Tech, though its success hinges entirely on AI companies playing by the rules.
Yahoo Mail just updated its mobile app with AI-powered one-line email summaries, quick actions, and a chat-inspired layout. It lets you rewrite replies into different tones and gamifies inbox cleanup to make clearing unread emails less of a chore. Currently available on iOS in the US.
Yahoo just launched a revamped Yahoo News app powered by the tech it acquired from Instagram founders' Artifact. The app serves up personalized feeds, bullet-point summaries, and Artifact's signature feature: letting AI rewrite clickbait headlines into plain English. It's available now on iOS and Android alongside an opt-in web redesign.
Yahoo just acquired the underlying technology behind Artifact, the AI news app built by Instagram’s co-founders. While the standalone app is shutting down, its personalization and recommendation engine will power Yahoo News and its 185 million monthly readers. Co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger will stay on as special advisors.
Yahoo Mail just expanded its Google Cloud-powered generative AI tools to the web, headlined by a "Shopping Saver" feature that hunts down forgotten gift cards and promo codes hidden in your inbox. It can even draft messages to apply missed discounts after checkout. Why it matters: Yahoo is trying to stand out by turning inbox clutter into actual savings.
