Ad Tech Briefing: AppLovin’s AI-fueled surge and The Trade Desk’s stumble show where investors are placing their bets

AppLovin's AI-fueled surge in investor interest, despite ongoing regulatory probes, highlights the significant role artificial intelligence is playing in the ad tech industry. This development is noteworthy, as it demonstrates investors' confidence in AppLovin's ability to leverage AI to drive growth and innovation in the sector. For website owners, this means that the use of AI in ad tech is becoming increasingly important, and those who fail to adapt may be left behind. As investors place their bets on companies like AppLovin, which are aggressively pursuing AI-driven strategies, website owners must consider how to effectively integrate AI into their own advertising and marketing efforts. This may involve partnering with ad tech companies that prioritize AI innovation or exploring new ways to use AI to optimize ad targeting and delivery on their own sites. To stay ahead of the curve, website owners should take several key steps: first, monitor their AI bot traffic to ensure they are not inadvertently blocking or misattributing ad revenue from AI-driven sources; second, review their llms.txt files to ensure they are accurately representing their site's AI-powered advertising capabilities; and third, explore opportunities to partner with ad tech companies that are investing heavily in AI research and development, such as AppLovin.