Hey there,

AI is quietly rewiring daily habits & processes. From simple dictations into polished prose, routing agents via Walmart & Shopify, and reshaping which publishers still get paid.

Are you on deck, now that commerce protocols & ad-ecosystems are arriving together redefining the workflows?

Willow

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Willow by Willow Voice is an intelligent dictation tool for Mac, Windows, and iOS, Converting natural speech into perfectly formatted texts with automatic editing & style-matching context analysis. 

Best for

• Busy leaders, developers, founders, students, professionals, and writers handling emails, Slack, docs, or automated AI prompts.  

• Teams seeking 5x faster communication without the need to constantly type.  

How to use it

• Press a hotkey, speak naturally into any app, and watch grammar, punctuation, names, and formatting appear instantly.  

• Activate AI Mode for polished messages from quick phrases; use voice commands like “new line” or “bullet point.”  

• Works in 100+ languages, whispers, noisy environments, with SOC 2/HIPAA privacy.  

When not to use it
For technical jargon or precise dictation, always double-check outputs like any voice tool. In unprotected scenarios, privacy mode handles most situations. 

Pro tip
Build a “Willow voice shortcuts” note for recurring phrases like email templates or meeting summaries to speed up daily workflows across apps.

🏪 UCP: Google Opens AI Commerce on Walmart, Target, Shopify

Commerce industry has further optimized as Google launched open-source standards enabling AI agents to execute purchases across retail platforms without bespoke interfaces. With partnerships across Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, Target, & Walmart, while Amazon blocks third-party agents.

Read the full article here » 

Key Takeaways:

• 🔌 Open Protocol Basis: The UCP combines 3 standards further optimizing the process, enabling agents to engage with merchants universally, bypassing custom Hubs.

• 💳 Solves Trust Crisis: Agent Payments Protocol uses digital signatures to verify authorization when autonomous agents initiate purchases without human clicks.

• 🛍️ Native Checkout Coming: Universal Commerce Protocol powers direct purchases in AI Mode and the app, Gemini from U.S.; retailers are using Google Pay & PayPal.

• 🎯 Direct Offers Pilot: Retailers set up special discounts that Google’s AI shows in AI Mode when shoppers look ready to buy, under a label called “Sponsored deal.”

🛒 Microsoft's AEO & GEO Guide: Why AI Assistants Skip Your Products

Retailers has now transferred from traffic generation to leveraging from AI strategies. Microsoft Advertising has published a technical Field Guide addressing Answer Engine Optimization(AEO) and also Generative Engine Optimization(GEO) across Copilot, ChatGPT, and agentic commerce bots.

Read the full article here »

Key Takeaways:

• 📊 Three Data Pathways: Crawled web data upgrades how it processes information, products suggested control comparisons, live site data powers agent checkout.

• 🔍 Completeness Wins: Products with more filled fields equate to higher listing, AI evaluates and ranks complete descriptions over the quantity of keywords alone.

• 🎯 AEO for Clarity, GEO for Trust: AEO optimizes for AI interpretation with real-time sync, GEO adds verified reviews and credibility making it more trustworthy.

• 🤖 Agent Ready Infrastructure: Incomplete checkout kills sales even with the use of perfect feeds, agents need working carts and payment processing end-to-end.

🚨 CEO Slams IAB's Publisher Revenue Snub Amid 40% Ad Crash

Duration Media CEO Andy Batkin takes heat at the IAB's February conference agenda for showcasing absolute zero sessions on generating new publisher revenues despite the increasing crisis, as Ad impressions declined 40% in some cases. While AI systems remove content without offset.

Read the full article here »

Key Takeaways:

• 🚨 Zero Publisher Focus: IAB’s three-day conference showcased AI agents, specs, and celebrity panels. Yet, there was no sessions on directly discussing how publishers are able to grow or protect revenue.

• 📉 Severe Traffic Collapsing: Ad impressions are on a new low; roughly around 40%, Google AI Overviews are stripping organic clicks about 34.5%, and a few niche sites are seeing traffic losses as high as 90%.

• 🎯 Ads Prioritized Design: Brands and agencies get free registrations, while publishers are charged around $3,495–$4,495, & programming centers on CMO and brand topics instead of publisher growth solutions.

• 💡 Proposed Publisher Track: Batkin suggests a parallel in-person venue during the conference plus a webinar series, specifically for ad tech firms that can demonstrate real, measurable publisher revenue impact.

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Until next time,