AI in Marketing: The Living Textbook
Update log
What has changed in the book, newest first: new developments in each chapter’s Latest updates box and revisions to the chapter text.
Fall 2026 edition – October · Last updated October 12, 2026
How the book stays current
- Latest updates (near the end of each chapter): the three most important recent developments, one sentence each, refreshed every Monday and Wednesday. Every item links to its source.
- Update archive: items that leave Latest updates stay there for three months, then are removed.
- Text revisions: new examples, data, and sections are added to the chapters only after the author reviews and approves them. Each is listed here and in the chapter’s Revision history.
- Editions: the book is versioned by month. The edition label at the top of each chapter (for example, Fall 2026 edition – October) shows which monthly version you are reading.
- Sources: every fact is checked against its source by two independent reviews before it appears.
Jump to: October 12, 2026 · October 7, 2026 · October 5, 2026
October 12, 2026
Chapter | Section | Type | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
1.3 Jagged frontier | Text revision | Added OpenAI’s release of 719 AI-generated math manuscripts as a current example of the jagged frontier. | |
2.6 Guardrails and disclosure | Text revision | New “Closer look” box on what watermarks and AI labels can and cannot prove. | |
3.4 Agentic commerce | Text revision | Added why websites block AI shopping agents and the new Personal Agent Protocol. | |
4.6 Agent risks | Text revision | New case box on AI test agents that acted on real websites. | |
5.2 Predictive models | Text revision | New subsection on decision models, AI that scores options instead of writing text. | |
7.5 Communicating AI value | Text revision | Added Gartner’s prediction on rehiring after AI-driven management cuts, as a caution for headcount claims. | |
1.3 Jagged frontier 1.5 AI in 2026 | Latest updates | Added: OpenAI’s 719 AI-generated math manuscripts (1.3); GPT-6 available to all ChatGPT users (1.5). Removed: the federal “Super Intelligence” naming order. | |
2.6 Guardrails and disclosure | Latest updates | Added: OpenAI’s EU text watermark and its limits (2.6). Moved to the archive: the Tavus “real person” study and the EU AI Act transparency rules. | |
3.3 Visibility in AI answers 3.4 Agentic commerce | Latest updates | Added: the Personal Agent Protocol (3.4); Gartner survey on AI-assisted holiday shopping (3.3). Removed: ChatGPT ads in 60+ countries (now in the 3.5 text). | |
4.1 Generative vs. agentic AI 4.3 How agents connect 4.6 Agent risks | Latest updates | Added: Anthropic’s disclosure of test agents acting on live websites (4.6); Google’s Gemini agent for work (4.1, 4.3). | |
5.2 Predictive models | Latest updates | Added: TypeSafe’s Jev decision model raises $870 million (5.2). | |
6.2 Governance | Latest updates | Added: White House incident-reporting mandate for AI companies (6.2). | |
7.5 Communicating AI value | Latest updates | Added: Gartner prediction that most AI-driven middle-management cuts will be partly reversed (7.5). Removed: an Aug 2026 TechCrunch item on public trust in AI. |
October 7, 2026
Chapter | Section | Type | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
3.4 Agentic commerce 3.5 Ads in AI assistants | Latest updates | Added: TikTok Shopping Assistant (3.4); OpenAI visual ads beside generated images (3.5). | |
4.6 Agent risks | Latest updates | Added: lawsuit over OpenAI agents’ access to Hugging Face systems (4.6). | |
6.1 From pilots to value 6.5 Copyright and privacy | Latest updates | Added: BCG 2026 Applied AI Index (6.1); Tokyo court ruling on AI voice clones (6.5). | |
7.5 Communicating AI value | Latest updates | Added: HubSpot workforce cut and how it was framed (7.5). |
October 5, 2026
Chapter | Section | Type | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
3.5 Ads in AI assistants | Text revision | ChatGPT ads were available in more than 60 countries by late September 2026; reference added. | |
All | Latest updates | Verified recent developments added to every chapter. |
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