The Brief – Friday 5 December: TikTok’s AI problem, Havas Play acquisition, Gemini in search

?Hundreds of accounts on TikTok are getting billions of views by putting out AI-generated content, including anti-immigration and sexualised material, according to AI Forensics, a Paris-based non-profit. Researchers said they had found 354 AI-focused accounts pushing 43,000 posts made by AI which have accumulated 4.5bn views over a month-long period. (The Guardian)

? Havas has acquired experiential agency Bearded Kitten to its experiential offering Havas Play. (Havas)

? The Trade Desk (TTD) is offering agency discounts and incentives in Q4, as competition increases from other top DSPs, such as Amazon. TTD is under pressure to meet or exceed expectations this Q4, after missing its fourth quarter 2024 revenue guidance earlier this year. Reportedly, according to one indie agency buyer, it is offering 1% or 2% discounts on ad tech fees for individual clients, if the agency committed to spending $500,000 more in Q4 than originally budgeted. (Adexchanger)

? Hearst UK has launched the Luxury Hub, a dedicated division designed to streamline how its brands partner with luxury clients. The move centralises services previously serviced through local and UK-based global teams by creating a single point of access. It will be overseen by chief luxury officer Jacqueline Euwe. (Hearst)

? The New York Times has sued the US Pentagon, arguing that the defense department has infringed upon constitutional rights by imposing a new set of restrictions on reporting about the military. (New York Times)

? Reform UK is facing new criticism around it’s attitude towards the press after its head of comms, Ed Sumner, called prominent Welsh journalist Will Hayward, who used to work for Wales Online, but now writes a column for The Guardian, a c***. (HoldtheFrontPage)

? Gemini was Google’s top trending search term in 2025. Google’s “Year in Search” highlights queries that saw a sustained spike in traffic in 2025 compared with 2024. (TechCrunch)