‘We’re starting to wonder’: Ad industry chases AI value as usage outpaces proof

July 21, 2026

Every choice has a price and the bill always comes due. Marketers are only just starting to work out what theirs actually costs for AI.

Laura Higgins had been at Dollar Shave Club for two months when she started paying attention to her AI bill. During her first month as the company’s new chief brand and innovation officer, she ran everything, from concepting ad campaigns to the routine back-and-forth of everyday questions, through the tools available to her — Claude, ChatGPT, Higgsfield and Gemini — without much thought for what it was costing.

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‘We’re starting to wonder’: Ad industry chases AI value as usage outpaces proof

The ad industry wants more from its AI spend but usage is outpacing proof of value.

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