Agents of Change: Human in the Loop

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Conversations with people acting as agents of change, and those tracking its ripple effects in real time. Across media, technology, and AI, we unpack what’s real, what’s overhyped, and where human judgment still matters most.

Episodes

  1. 1d ago

    2026 Hot Takes on the Croisette: Inside Yahoo’s Agentic Advertising Strategy | Gabriel DeWitt

    Yahoo isn’t just experimenting with agentic advertising. It has already run production campaigns using buyer and seller agents—including one executed with zero humans in the loop. In this episode of Agents of Change: Human in the Loop, Gabriel DeWitt, Head of Monetization at Yahoo, explains how agentic direct is transforming the publisher-to-buyer workflow through the Advertising Context Protocol (AdCP). We discuss: What happened when Yahoo ran a 100% model-driven campaign Where humans still review pricing, creative and campaign pacing Why proprietary business data—not the underlying model—is the real competitive moat How agents transact without exposing sensitive audience data How rate cards, pricing floors and governance protect premium inventory Why dashboard-building may disappear by 2036 The emergence of a new job class: agent orchestrators Agentic advertising is no longer theoretical. The infrastructure, transactions and governance systems are already being built—and tested in production. Subscribe to Agents of Change: Human in the Loop for candid conversations with the leaders building the future of advertising.

  2. Jul 19

    2026 Hot Takes on the Croisette: Ben Masse on Why Agentic AI Will End "Forms as a Service"

    At Cannes Lions 2026, Aubriana sits down with Ben Masse, Chief Product Officer at Triton Digital (an iHeart company) and inaugural President of the Agentic Advertising Organization, for a rapid-fire conversation about where agentic AI is already creating value—and where humans must remain firmly in the loop. Ben shares why his teams already rely on AI agents for software development, why advertising needs to evolve beyond today's "day trading" mindset, and how agentic workflows could transform media buying into long-term portfolio management. He also explains why identity alone is no longer enough to value media, how richer context and metadata change the economics of advertising, and why media mix modeling may become even more important—not less—in an agent-driven future. The conversation closes with one of the most memorable lines from Cannes: "Ad tech isn't Software as a Service. It's Forms as a Service." Ben argues that AI should eliminate repetitive operational work so humans can focus on what they're uniquely good at: judgment, creativity, curiosity, and strategy. In this episode: How Triton Digital is using AI agents todayWhy "embedded human judgment" is critical for trust and governanceAgentic transactions vs. OpenRTBWhy advertising should behave more like portfolio management than day tradingThe future of media mix modeling in an AI-first worldWhich advertising jobs disappear—and which become even more valuable Recorded live on the Croisette during Cannes Lions 2026 as part of the Hot Takes on the Croisette series from Agents of Change: Human in the Loop.

  3. May 5

    Agents of Change Episode 7 with Matt Fanelli

    What does "performance" really mean when every brand claims it? Aubriana sits down with Matthew Fanelli, CRO of Digital Remedy, to unpack 25 years of ad tech evolution — from AOL dial-up to AI-powered media. They get into fragmentation, the courage it takes to have honest conversations about what's actually working, where AI helps (and where it falls flat), and why the best marketers are willing to be a little uncomfortable — even a little cringey — to stay relevant.

  4. Apr 20

    Agents of Change Episode 6 with Patrick Shea

    What does it actually take to stay relevant through 15+ years of nonstop change in adtech? In this episode of Agents of Change: Human in the Loop, Aubriana sits down with Patrick Shea, Co-Founder of AdDaptive Intelligence, to unpack what most companies get wrong about AI, experimentation, and long-term bets. Patrick has built through every major wave—from early programmatic to machine learning to today’s AI boom—and he doesn’t buy into the hype cycle the way most of the industry does. Instead, he breaks down a more disciplined approach: how to place smarter bets, fail without blowing up your business, and know when to move on. They get into: Why most AI conversations sound the same—and what’s actually different this time The real reason companies are slow to adopt AI (it’s not what you think) How to structure experiments so they don’t turn into endless POCs The balance between bold bets and existential risk Why “momentum” and comfort are bigger blockers than technology Patrick also shares how early investments in automation gave his company an unfair advantage—and how that thinking translates directly into today’s AI landscape. If you’re trying to figure out where to lean in, where to hold back, and how to make decisions without perfect information—this conversation will sharpen your thinking.

  5. Mar 30

    Agents of Change Episode 5 with Kim Siler

    In this episode of Agents of Change, Aubriana sits down with Kim Siler, a seasoned operator who has spent over two decades leading digital transformation across companies like Coca-Cola, AT&T, and TeleSign. Now co-founder of Aethova, Kim brings a rare perspective that blends enterprise execution with hands-on AI system building. The conversation cuts through surface-level AI hype to explore what actually breaks inside organizations as AI compresses decision cycles, and why the real bottleneck isn’t the technology, but governance, ownership, and organizational design. Kim shares hard-earned insights on why most companies are still stuck in pilot mode, what it truly means for AI to change “who does the work,” and why leaders must rethink decision rights, autonomy, and integration of real workflows to move forward. From firsthand experiences building autonomous agents to training C-suite executives on becoming AI-ready, this episode is a grounded, unfiltered look at what it takes to shift from experimentation to real transformation, and the kind of leadership required to navigate it.

  6. Mar 23

    Agents of Change Episode 4 with Priti Ohri

    In this episode of Agents of Change: Human in the Loop, Aubriana sits down with Priti Ohri, Founder of Advertible, to unpack what’s really happening beneath the surface of AI in advertising. From her early days in media and ad tech to building Advertible, Priti shares how a gap in creative technology led her to rethink how brands show up—moving beyond rigid formats toward adaptive creative that evolves in real time. They break down where AI is actually making an impact today (and where it’s not), why most companies are still using AI at a surface level, and what’s truly holding adoption back—trust, education, and organizational readiness. The conversation goes deeper into what’s broken in today’s workflows, why creative has been left behind, and how AI has the potential to collapse the gap between intent and execution. They also explore what it means to be an agent of change—not just in building technology, but in shaping a more inclusive and forward-thinking industry. If you care about where AI in marketing is actually going—not the headlines, but the real shift—this one is worth your time.

  7. Feb 23

    Agents of Change - Human in the Loop Episode 3 with Rex Briggs

    Rex Briggs has been thinking about AI and marketing productivity since the early days of the internet. In this episode of Agents of Change, Aubriana Lopez speaks with Rex Briggs, Chief AI Officer at Claritas, about why this AI wave feels different — and what’s actually holding it back. Long before generative AI, Rex was pioneering log file analytics, post-click attribution, and neural networks at Wired and HotWired. He later founded Marketing Evolution and authored What Sticks and The AI Conundrum (MIT Press). They explore: Why AI adoption is a human problem, not a technology problem The hidden dangers of short-term ROI optimization What’s really inside marketing’s “black boxes” How AI personalization drove a 400% lift in a Cadillac campaign Why org charts and workflows are breaking before the tech does What may surprise us most by 2027 Rex argues the future won’t be defined by smarter algorithms alone, but by how organizations adapt — culturally and structurally. The real challenge isn’t building AI. It’s aligning people, incentives, and accountability around it. A candid conversation about transformation, resistance, and what it really means to be an agent of change.

  8. Feb 16

    Agents of Change Episode 2 with Bob Walczak

    In this episode of Agents of Change: Human in the Loop, Aubriana sits down with Bob Walczak, CEO of MadConnect, to unpack the invisible infrastructure powering the next era of ad tech. With decades of experience, including leading BidSwitch, Bob brings a builder’s perspective to one of the industry’s biggest challenges: platform-to-platform communication in an agentic world.

  9. Jan 29

    Episode 1 with Joanna Gerber of AdExchanger

    In this first episode, we flip the script and turn the mic toward Joanna Gerber, Associate Editor at AdExchanger. As a Gen Z journalist covering ad tech and AI, Joanna brings a rare vantage point — combining front-row access to founders and operators with a generational lens shaped by growing up alongside the technology now reshaping the industry. This conversation explores what she’s seeing emerge across media and AI, what feels real versus overhyped, and how she thinks about impact, responsibility, and signal versus noise in this moment of change.

  • 9 Episodes

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Conversations with people acting as agents of change, and those tracking its ripple effects in real time. Across media, technology, and AI, we unpack what’s real, what’s overhyped, and where human judgment still matters most.

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