-> https://www.bcg.com/x/the-multiplier/how-ai-is-reshaping-modern-advertising

BCG published a wide-ranging report arguing that AI is changing the mechanics of advertising for the first time in a decade — moving from static messages placed around content to commercial choices embedded directly inside a conversation.

The authors, Robert Derow, Justin Kuron, James Reiner, and Mark Abraham, map out what they call the “AI attention stack”: three types of interfaces — search-embedded AI (Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, Microsoft Copilot), assistant-native AI (ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Meta AI), and retail and commerce AI (Amazon Rufus, Walmart Sparky, Instacart Ask) — where advertising inventory is now emerging in three forms: in-answer ads, in-conversation ads, and agentic ads.

In the section on assistants becoming advertising surfaces, BCG turned to Thrad CEO Andrea Tortella for what makes this shift different from anything that's come before in advertising:

“This is the first time in advertising history where brands can talk to customers one-to-one at scale—and actually listen to what comes back.”

— Andrea Tortella, Thrad.AI

The report also puts numbers behind the trust question Thrad has built its own positioning around: a recent study BCG cites found 69% of consumers feel manipulated when brands use AI for advertising without disclosing it — reinforcing that clear labeling and consent, not just placement, will decide which platforms and brands earn a place inside these conversations as the category matures.

Read the full report on BCG's site