If you tuned into the inauguration, it was unmistakable how much tech was front and center.

I’m not taking political sides with this post—I’m naturally an independent—but it’s clear that the new administration is fully embracing the tech sector during this Presidency.

There will be no shackles on AI in the form of regulation. In fact, President Trump’s first press conference was about “Stargate”, a $500B investment to build out AI infrastructure and accelerate the adoption of AI in the U.S.

So how does this impact the advertising industry specifically?

Advertising is arguably the best AI use case so far. Every major tech company has a massive advertising business. The shift to embrace AI in the U.S. positions these businesses to thrive even further:

• Google: Projected to hit $250B+ in revenue by 2025, but search as we know it is currently under existential threat.

• Meta: Its social performance advertising ecosystem continues to dominate, with expected revenues topping $160B+ by 2025.

• Amazon: Ads are their “low-key” growth engine, and they are on track for $55B+ in ad revenue by 2025 with major CTV and Retail Media plays.

• X: Elon’s “everything app” (formerly Twitter) is still trying to find its advertising footing. Elon’s memorable line—“Advertisers are free to go F* themselves if they don’t align with our mission”—certainly didn't help. But it's clear that if X figures out monetization, advertising will be the dominant source of revenue.

What this means for the rest of advertising:

1. Positive Vibes at CES

The mood at CES 2025 was noticeably upbeat. Conversations centered on growth, experimentation, and new AI-driven solutions—not just the usual complaints of spend taking too long to ramp back up.

2. AI Accelerates Layoffs

Companies are no longer concerned about how laying people off and replacing them with AI looks. In fact, this administration and market will continue to reward companies for “becoming more efficient” through layoffs as the year goes on. I’m certainly not saying this is a good thing, but it's definitely the truth.

• Meta announced another round of layoffs, trimming 5% of its workforce in its push for performance.

• CNN’s recent cuts are a painful reminder of where TV news is heading, as more dollars shift to streaming and digital.

3. From AI Experimentation to Implementation

At streamr.ai, we’re slammed in 2025 with inbound. Yes, INBOUND leads from CTV publishers, broadcasters, ad tech platforms, and agencies wanting to know more about our GenAI solutions. I’m certainly not complaining after sending 10,819 cold emails in 2024. 😅 Agencies that were hesitant—even dismissive—of piloting our GenAI creatives last year are now the majority of my meetings. Why? They’ve realized they need to get more efficient or risk losing clients. Even the major hold co's are trying to streamline operations. Omnicom’s merger with Interpublic is just one example of this trend.

Some form of AI has been used on the backend to optimize campaign spend for years, but 2025 is the year when GenAI will become more user-facing. streamr started by generating AI creatives, and at CES, we released our next phase: AI agents. The streamr AI agent recommends a complete campaign strategy: budget, duration, and audience targeting by analyzing industry trends and behavioral insights to recommend targeting relevant to your audience. We already see SMB conversion rates increasing with our new "AI Agent Recommendations."

Our focus now is on perfecting GenAI Infinite∞, which monitors campaign performance and proactively suggests both creative and campaign targeting optimizations to deliver the best possible return on ad spend (ROAS.) This phase is what truly makesstreamr.ai stand out: a system that doesn’t just automate tasks but continuously improves itself and your results.

4. M&A Activity = Consolidation

The ad tech M&A market is heating up again. Everyone’s favorite Ad Tech M&A expert, Terry Kawaja, was right that 2025 is ushering in the “Thrive Era” of ad tech M&A. With competition intensifying and budgets tightening, companies are looking to find strength in scale.

Conclusion

The U.S. vibe shift toward an AI-first agenda is clear: lean into AI adoption in 2025 and you have a chance to stay competitive. For advertising, this creates massive opportunities to redefine creativity and efficiency. Atstreamr.ai, we’re excited to be at the forefront of this AI transformation. Come join us!