- 19
- Episodes
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- 2026
- First episode
About Agents of Change: Human in the Loop
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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- Alo
- Category
- business
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- en
- Explicit
- No
- First episode
- 29 Jan 2026
- Latest episode
- 13 Oct 2026
Latest episodes
19 episodes in the feed.
13 Oct 2026
Glen Caruso: We Were Handed a Ferrari and We’re Admiring the Handle
Glen Caruso, president of The Digital Curators and creator of DecisionLab AI, spent three decades at Adobe, Oracle Data Cloud, and Microsoft before turning to teaching companies how to put AI to work, not just buy it. We get into how he takes one painful workflow at a time, why guardrails come before anything else, and how to keep what your best people know from walking out the door when they leave. Glen shares what people built at his recent agent lab in Atlanta, including a 68 year old real estate agent with almost no tech background who built her own rental dashboard. He also explains why he tells his AI to push back on him, and what he does when it makes the same mistake twice. In this episode: Turning AI into a judgment system, not just another tool Why “It can write. It can read. It cannot send.” is where every build starts Capturing what lives in your top performers’ heads Real agents built in a three hour workshop A simple prompt: the goal, the context, and “ask me one question at a time” Why Glen rates himself a 1.5 out of 10 on AI His question for the next guest: how do we train people for the jobs AI is creating? Guest: Glen Caruso, President, The Digital Curators, and creator of DecisionLab AI DecisionLab AI: https://decisionlabai.com (https://decisionlabai.com) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/glencaruso (https://www.linkedin.com/in/glencaruso) Subscribe to Agents of Change: Human in the Loop for more honest conversations on what’s real in media, technology, and AI. #AgentsOfChange #HumanInTheLoop #AI #AdTech #DecisionLabAI
17 Sept 2026
From Amazon Ads to Fixing Enterprise Data: Joe Luchs on What AI Readiness Actually Takes
Joe Luchs, Founder and CEO of Datalinx AI, joins Agents of Change to explain why he calls his company an "AI data refinery," using the analogy of crude oil needing to be refined into gas before it can fuel your car, and why he thinks the biggest lie in AI right now is that good tools can replace good data. Joe walks through a real case study with LiveRamp, where Datalinx took a data-onboarding process from a two-week job down to two minutes, and breaks down what his specialized AI agents actually do to discover, clean, and validate enterprise data. He also gets into the human side: the "Cold War" between marketing and IT teams, and the row-level confidence scoring that keeps a human in the loop when the data isn't trustworthy enough to act on automatically. Joe traces his own path from co-founding Beeswax, to running AWS and Amazon Ads globally, to betting on himself again with Datalinx, and closes with a personal take on AI, parenting, and what he hopes for the next generation. In this episode: The "AI data refinery" analogy, explained in plain English The biggest myth in AI: that good tools can replace good data A real before/after: taking LiveRamp's data onboarding from two weeks to two minutes What an AI agent actually does, mechanically, when it "cleans" enterprise data Confidence scoring and human-in-the-loop, row by row Lessons from co-founding Beeswax, and why Ari Paparo (Beeswax's founder) is now a Datalinx investor A personal take on AI, parenting, and trust in the next generation Guest: Joe Luchs, Founder & CEO, Datalinx AI Datalinx AI: https://www.datalinx.ai Subscribe to Agents of Change for more conversations on how AI agents are reshaping advertising, media, and technology. #AgentsOfChange #AI #AdTech #DataReadiness #DatalinxAI #AgenticAI
9 Sept 2026
2026 Hot Takes on the Croisette: Why Creative Is the Hardest Thing to Hand to an Agent | Matic Tribušon
We wrap our Hot Takes on the Croisette series with Matic Tribušon, Chief Product Officer at Celtra, on one of the toughest workflows to hand over to agents: creative. Recorded café-side in Cannes, lunch rush and all. Matic argues that agentic AI doesn't change what good creative requires — it just makes weak brand guidelines and loose review processes break faster. He walks through how Celtra pairs generative AI with codified brand guidelines to let non-designers produce more, why human judgment is shifting from making the work to judging it, and why the brands that had rigorous review processes before AI are the ones benefiting most now. He closes with a look ten years out: the ad ops work that disappears, and why the industry's new north star is curation, not creation. Celtra: https://celtra.com Produced in partnership with AgenticAdvertising.org. Sponsored by Agnitio.
2 Sept 2026
2026 Hot Takes on the Croisette: Why Salesforce Isn't Shipping Hundreds of Agents Out of the Box | Chinmayi Bettadapur
Where is Salesforce actually trusting agents with work today? On this episode of Agents of Change, we sit down with Chinmayi Bettadapur, VP and General Manager for Agentforce Media at Salesforce, to talk about building agents that meet the real needs of media and entertainment companies. Chinmayi shares how agents are fast-tracking her own product and engineering teams — letting them prototype and ship roadmap items faster than ever — and why she'd currently describe it as "agents in the loop" more than "humans in the loop," with fact-checking as the piece that still needs a person. We talk about why Salesforce is deliberately not shipping hundreds of out-of-the-box agents (they'd "just collect dust"), and how AI now lets the company build bespoke agents at scale with customers instead of for them. She closes with a 2036 prediction: which advertising job fades into pure agent work, and how the phrase "talk to my agent" is about to take on a whole new, more transactional meaning. In this episode: How agents are speeding up Salesforce's own product development and prototyping Why it's "agents in the loop" today, with fact-checking as the human's job Why Salesforce won't ship hundreds of out-of-the-box agents — and what it's building instead A 2036 prediction: the transactional future of "talk to my agent" Guest: Chinmayi Bettadapur, VP & General Manager, Agentforce Media, Salesforce Subscribe to Agents of Change for more conversations on how AI agents are reshaping advertising, media, and technology. #AgentsOfChange #AdTech #AI #Salesforce #Agentforce #AgenticAI
28 Aug 2026
2026 Hot Takes on the Croisette: Agents Can Run Slack, But Not Your Bank Account Yet | Ben Williams
Where do you actually trust an AI agent today — and where do you still hold the line? On this episode of Agents of Change, we sit down with Ben Williams, Founder and Managing Director of Kiln, a technology agency focused on the media sector, to talk trust, governance, and what AdCP means for the future of ad tech. Ben shares where agents already run autonomously in his own agency (platform integrations like Anthropic, Workspace, and Slack), and where he draws a hard line today (agents don't get banking access). We dig into AdCP and who stands to win and lose if DSPs and SSPs become commodity rails — Ben's take: the opaque, high-take-rate intermediaries lose, and publishers, broadcasters, and society win. We also talk human-in-the-loop guardrails in his own AdCP prototypes, and where he sees things heading as those prototypes go live. He closes with a 2036 prediction: which ad-tech job disappears, and which new role — VP of Agentic — takes its place. In this episode: Where Ben trusts agents to run autonomously today, and where he doesn't (yet) AdCP's winners and losers if DSPs and SSPs become commodity rails Why human-in-the-loop is heavy now but won't stay that way as prototypes scale A 2036 prediction: the rise of the "VP of Agentic" and the mindsets that get left behind Guest: Ben Williams, Founder & Managing Director, Kiln Subscribe to Agents of Change for more conversations on how AI agents are reshaping advertising, media, and technology.
28 Aug 2026
2026 Hot Takes on the Croisette: How Advertible Is Scaling Creative with Agentic AI | Priti Ohri
At Cannes Lions, I sat down with Priti Ohri, CEO & Co-Founder of Advertible, to discuss what agentic AI actually looks like inside a growing advertising business. Rather than replacing people, Priti shares how her team is using AI agents to eliminate busy work, amplify creative at scale, and free humans to focus on higher-value strategic thinking. She also explains why trust and governance remain non-negotiable, how multiple agents verify each other's work, and why native advertising may be one of the best proving grounds for agentic workflows. In this episode, we cover: • How Advertible uses AI agents across marketing, engineering, and production • Why every AI output should be verified—not blindly trusted • Scaling creative without sacrificing brand governance • Why native advertising is uniquely positioned for agentic AI • The advertising jobs AI will eliminate—and the ones it will elevate Recorded live on the Croisette during Cannes Lions as part of our 2026 Hot Takes on the Croisette series, in partnership with the Agentic Advertising Organization and sponsored by Agnitio. If you're building with AI, leading marketing or advertising teams, or wondering what the future of human + agent collaboration really looks like, this episode is for you.
25 Aug 2026
2026 Hot Takes on the Croisette: Trust Is the New Brand Safety | Pamela Slea
What happens to brand safety when an AI agent, not a human, writes the ad? On this episode of Agents of Change, we sit down with Pamela Slea, CEO of Boltive, an ad security and privacy technology company building the guardrails that let buy-side and sell-side agents transact at scale. We talk about where Boltive is already trusting agents in production (hint: privacy compliance monitoring across hundreds of thousands of sites), where human judgment still has to stay in the loop, how the definition of "brand safety" is being rewritten in real time, and what jobs in advertising and technology might look like — or disappear — by 2036. In this episode: How Boltive uses agents to monitor consent and compliance at scale, jurisdiction by jurisdiction Why "human in the loop" means more than oversight — it means using AI strategically, not just tactically Redefining brand safety when brands themselves aren't writing the ads anymore A 10-years-out prediction: which ad-tech jobs disappear, and which new ones emerge Guest: Pamela Slea, CEO, Boltive Learn more about Boltive: https://www.boltive.com Subscribe to Agents of Change for more conversations on how AI agents are reshaping advertising, media, and technology. #AgentsOfChange #AdTech #AI #BrandSafety #Boltive #AgenticAI
24 Aug 2026
2026 Hot Takes on the Croisette: Good Bots, Bad Bots with Sarah Acker of HUMAN
Everyone wants an agent strategy. But according to Sarah Acker of HUMAN, that strategy must begin with visibility. As bots and AI agents account for a growing share of internet activity, businesses need to understand which agents are legitimate, which are malicious and which may be acting as customers on behalf of real people. In this episode of 2026 Hot Takes on the Croisette, Sarah and Aubriana discuss: • Why agentic visibility must come before agentic strategy • How to distinguish good bots from bad bots • The risks of spoofed AI agents • Why blocking every bot could mean blocking revenue • How visibility and control help brands reduce fraud without shutting out legitimate commerce Recorded at Cannes Lions as part of the 2026 Hot Takes on the Croisette series in partnership with Agentic Advertising Org and sponsored by Agnitio. Subscribe for more conversations with the people building the agentic future of advertising. #AgenticAI #ArtificialIntelligence #Cybersecurity #Advertising #CannesLions #AIagents
10 Aug 2026
2026 Hot Takes on the Croisette: Why Programmatic Is Running on Windows 95 | Brian O’Kelley
Programmatic advertising is running on an operating system built 20 years ago. Brian O’Kelley thinks it is time for a rebuild. The Scope3 co-founder and CEO joins Aubriana Alvarez Lopez on the Cannes Croisette to discuss AI agents, the hidden incentives preserving programmatic waste, where humans still matter and why advertising’s future belongs to dreamers. Part of our 2026 Hot Takes on the Croisette series, in partnership with the Agentic Advertising Organization and sponsored by Agnitio.
7 Aug 2026
2026 Hot Takes on the Croisette: Inside iHeart’s “Guaranteed Human” Agentic Strategy | Mike Chevalier
What does “Guaranteed Human” mean when agents begin planning, buying and executing media? Live from Cannes Lions, Mike Chevalier of iHeart joins Aubriana Alvarez Lopez to discuss how iHeart is modernizing sales with agentic AI across broadcast radio, podcasts and streaming. They explore where agents can operate, where human oversight is nonnegotiable and why governance ultimately comes down to three things: fit, money and law. Mike also shares why AI may not eliminate advertising jobs, but will transform them into more strategic roles focused on training agents, providing oversight and solving client problems. Part of the 2026 Hot Takes on the Croisette series from Agents of Change: Human in the Loop, in partnership with the Agentic Advertising Organization and sponsored by Agnitio.
27 Jul 2026
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.
19 Jul 2026
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 today Why "embedded human judgment" is critical for trust and governance Agentic transactions vs. OpenRTB Why advertising should behave more like portfolio management than day trading The future of media mix modeling in an AI-first world Which 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.
5 May 2026
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.
20 Apr 2026
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.
30 Mar 2026
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.
23 Mar 2026
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.
23 Feb 2026
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.
16 Feb 2026
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.
29 Jan 2026
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.
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