Weekly News Roundup: Mar 9-15, 2025
Start your week right! A curated roundup of the top AI news shaping the industry.
Welcome to this week’s edition of The Imagination Age news roundup, where we break down the biggest stories in generative AI shaping creativity, culture, and commerce.
This week’s hit pieces focus on insights from brands and platforms including: Snap revolutionizing social media with AI-powered video lenses, Estée Lauder deepening its generative AI investments, and Coca-Cola sharing key insights from its AI-driven marketing playbook.
Plus, check out the viral AI-generated Bible movie trailer which is sparking discussion on the future of AI-powered entertainment.
Let’s dive in!
1. Snap Introduces AI Video Lenses Powered by Its In-House Generative Model
📸 Snapchat brings real-time generative AI video effects to its platform. (Source)
Snap has unveiled its first ever video generative AI lenses, leveraging its proprietary generative model to enhance video creation within the app. The lenses allow users to apply real-time AI effects that alter backgrounds, enhance facial features, and create dynamic visuals.
🔍 Why it matters: This move underscores Snap’s commitment to AI-powered creativity and reinforces its competitive edge in AR and social content creation.
💡 Big question: How will AI-powered video lenses redefine social media and fandom?
2. Estée Lauder Expands Generative AI Capabilities with Adobe Integration
💄 Luxury beauty giant integrates AI-driven content tools for hyper-personalized marketing. (Source)
Estée Lauder is doubling down on AI by integrating Adobe’s generative AI tools into its marketing workflow. This partnership will enable automated ad creative generation, personalized product recommendations, and AI-powered campaign optimization.
🔍 Why it matters: As more brands integrate generative AI into their marketing stacks, consumer experiences are becoming increasingly personalized and data-driven.
💡 Big question: Will AI-powered marketing create deeper consumer connections, or will it lead to over-automated brand experiences?
3. China Announces Generative AI Labeling Requirements
🇨🇳 China moves forward with regulations requiring AI-generated content disclosures. (Source)
China has introduced new rules mandating labels for generative AI content, ensuring transparency in AI-generated images, videos, and text. The regulation aims to curb misinformation while maintaining tight control over AI development.
🔍 Why it matters: This signals a growing trend of global AI regulation, potentially influencing policies globally.
💡 Big question: How effectively will governments be able to handle the policing around AI labeling regulations?
4. Is Generative AI Pushing People Toward Addictions?
🧠 AI-driven personalization may be fueling compulsive behaviors. (Source)
A new report explores how AI-optimized content algorithms may be reinforcing addictive behaviors—whether through social media, online gambling, or AI-enhanced gaming. The concern is that hyper-personalization could exploit human psychology, keeping users engaged and reinforcing their own beliefs in both subtle and overt ways.
🔍 Why it matters: AI companies focus on innovation that drives greater engagement which could create dangerous reinforcement loops
💡 Big question: As AI continues to grow its perception as an authority figure, how much should we trust its guidance?
5. Coca-Cola Shares Learnings from Its Generative AI Journey
🥤 A first-mover in AI-powered branding, Coca-Cola reflects on what works—and what doesn’t. (Source)
Coca-Cola has been an early adopter of generative AI in advertising, experimenting with AI-generated campaigns, product visuals, and digital brand experiences. Their key insight? AI is most effective when used to augment human creativity, not replace it. And using generative AI is not “click a button” and pop out an ad, it still requires human intervention and creative decisioning.
🔍 Why it matters: Coca-Cola’s AI journey offers a roadmap for other brands looking to navigate the evolving landscape of AI-powered marketing.
💡 Big question: How can brands strike the right balance between generative AI and real, authentic, human-driven storytelling?
6. Why CTV Ad Buyers Remain Skeptical About Generative AI
📺 Connected TV advertisers are still wary of fully embracing AI-powered ads. (Source)
Despite the promise of AI-generated ad creatives and automated campaign scaling, CTV ad buyers remain cautious about quality control, brand safety, and potential biases in AI-generated messaging.
🔍 Why it matters: While AI is disrupting digital advertising, skepticism in high-stakes media environments like CTV highlights the need for clear safeguards and ethical AI deployment.
💡 Big question: What guardrails need to be in place before AI-generated advertising becomes the standard in premium media?
7. Viral AI-Generated Bible Movie Trailer Sparks Excitement
🎞️ An AI-powered reimagination of The Bible as a Hollywood blockbuster captivates audiences. (Source)
A viral video imagining The Bible as a high-budget movie trailer has sparked widespread discussion. Using AI tools, the creators generated cinematic visuals, dramatic voiceovers, and battle sequences, giving biblical narratives an epic, Hollywood-style treatment.
🔍 Why it matters: The video showcases AI’s ability to transform classic stories into high-production-value content, bringing to life new questions around AI’s role in reinterpreting religious and historical texts.
💡 Big question: Will AI storytelling lead to more creative reinterpretations of history and religion?
8. Moonvalley Launches Marey: An AI Video Model Built on Licensed Content
🚀 A breakthrough in AI video generation with a strong focus on ethical training data. (Source)
Moonvalley, a Los Angeles-based startup, has launched Marey, an AI video model trained exclusively on owned and licensed content. Unlike other AI video generators facing copyright concerns, Marey ensures that all training data respects intellectual property rights.
🔍 Why it matters: By prioritizing legal and ethical AI training, Moonvalley sets a new standard for responsible AI development in creative industries.
💡 Big question: Can models like Marey provide a scalable, legally sound alternative to the more generalized AI video tools?
That’s a wrap for this week! Which AI development caught your attention the most? Drop a comment and let’s discuss. 🚀