Marketers are closing out the year with a clear view of what will matter most in 2026. AI driven workflows will shift teams toward strategy and creativity, and generative tools will focus on producing substance rather than speed. Martech systems will operate as connected ecosystems, video will become an always on format, and paid media will evolve toward deeper automation. Discovery will move through generative search, engagement will grow conversational, AI will reveal clearer insights, browsers will become agent aware, and trust will define advantage.

The 6th Marketing AI Pulse event explored how AI is reshaping the way marketing teams build visibility, plan campaigns, and communicate across channels as discovery shifts toward systems that interpret meaning rather than match keywords. With content, data, and intent becoming increasingly connected, attendees gained a clearer view of how to create consistent and trusted experiences that reflect real audience needs. The session highlighted why structure, clarity, credible sources, and relevance guide AI driven discovery and offered practical direction for strengthening modern brand presence.

Large language models are redefining how brands are discovered and trusted online. As AI shifts search behavior from ranked results to contextual answers, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is emerging as the new frontier for marketers. Todd Sawicki, CEO and co-founder of Gumshoe, explains how LLMs interpret and recommend brands, what signals they rely on, and why structured content, credible sources, and relevance matter more than ever. The discussion offers a roadmap for marketers seeking to shape brand perception and visibility in an AI-driven discovery landscape.

Aby Varma, founder of Spark Novus and host of The Marketing AI SparkCast, sits down with Christian Herrity of Accenture Song to explore how AI is revolutionizing storytelling, creative workflows, and talent dynamics—making what once took months possible in days through AI-empowered content creation.

In this episode of the Marketing AI SparkCast, Aby Varma, founder of Spark Novus, an advisory firm that partners with marketing leaders to adopt AI responsibly and strategically, sits down with Philip Lakin, Head of Enterprise Innovation at Zapier. The conversation dives into how marketing teams are shifting from basic automation to fully autonomous, AI-driven workflows using orchestration, agents, and no-code tools. Philip shares his unconventional career path and explains how AI is reshaping how marketing and ops teams operate, scale, and create value.

In this episode of the Marketing AI SparkCast, Aby Varma, founder of Spark Novus, a leading consultancy that partners with marketing leaders to adopt and scale AI responsibly and strategically, talks with Nicola Smith, Senior AI Programs Advisor at Southwest Airlines. They explore how enterprises can move beyond tool experimentation to embed AI into strategic workflows, why marketing leaders are uniquely suited to lead AI adoption, and how AI fluency is evolving from a competitive advantage to a regulatory necessity.

In this episode of the Marketing AI Spark Cast, Aby Varma—founder of Spark Novus, which partners with marketing leaders to adopt AI responsibly and strategically—hosts Mike Ensing, Founder and CEO of Revere AI. They explore how LLMs are revolutionizing search, shifting the customer journey, and forcing a new marketing playbook where brand discovery is increasingly mediated by generative AI systems rather than traditional search engines. The conversation delves into trust, hallucinations, data structure, and the strategic role of agents in brand engagement.

AI Mode is now live in Search. Not just in labs. Not just for tech demos. This is a fundamental shift in how people access information—and for CMOs, it demands attention.

If AI Overviews gave us a glimpse of what AI-assisted search looks like, AI Mode is the next step: search as conversation, powered by Google’s Gemini AI. It's not a tool. It's a new interface for how consumers discover, decide, and buy.

Let’s unpack what’s changed—and what you need to do about it.