Longtime KTLA weather anchor Mark Kriski talked more about his stroke in May and about his recovery in honor of National Stroke Awareness Month.

“I went down like a ton of bricks,” Kriski recalled after suffering a stroke in May 2024. “I tried to get out of bed and my legs weren’t there. I was tilting to the right all the time, which my stroke seemed to affect.”

Kriski also said he had Wallenberg Syndrome, which involved damage to a part of the brainstem called the medulla, typically caused by a stroke, and his vocal cords had been affected.

“One of my vocal cords, the right one, was paralyzed,” he said. “So that’s why I had such a hoarse voice.”

Kriski said his doctors injected a temporary solution of filler to plump up his affected right cord so that both the left and right cords could meet and work properly again for speech.

Kriski came back to KTLA Morning News on April 3. He said that although he’s glad to be mostly recovered, he did note that the incident changed his life.

Sharb Farjami, CEO of GroupM North America, told employees during a company-wide town hall Friday afternoon that a sweeping organizational restructure will “impact about 40% to 45% of our entire workforce,” according to a recording of an all-hands obtained by ADWEEK.

“This has been a pretty tough week for us,” Farjami said. “There have been colleagues that have left our business… It can feel very destabilizing.”

When asked what ‘impacted’ meant, a GroupM spokesperson said the 40%-45% figure “does not refer to people who are departing the business” but “is in reference to how we’re bringing teams together.”

The spokesperson also clarified that the figure refers to U.S.-based employees specifically. They declined to comment on whether the shift will include future layoffs.

The new department—Media Management and Delivery, or MMD—will absorb investment, Nexus, and campaign reporting functions into a unified division. The leaders at the meeting did not clarify whether the impacted roles would include layoffs, reassignments, or other organizational changes.

Agency brands won’t go away

During the 2 p.m. ET meeting, agency leadership reiterated that the changes are part of a broader plan to shift to a “single operating model” across GroupM North America. “The agency brands will continue to exist… What they cease to be is individual, distinct business units,” said one executive, whom ADWEEK was unable to identify. “They will cease to operate business P&Ls in the market, but they will continue to be homes for our clients.”

Employees were told to expect a follow-up email detailing the next steps, as well as a question form they can fill out.

The update follows ADWEEK’s earlier report that layoffs had begun at the media network earlier this week—days after the agency reportedly rebranded from GroupM to WPP Media.

The meeting reiterated details from a leaked memo.

A leaked memo sent by GroupM CEO Brian Lesser on Monday, which has been obtained by ADWEEK, also outlined changes including the shift to a single operating model, agency title restructuring, and the integration of Nexus and investment functions.

“As part of this process, we’ve had to make difficult decisions as we work to improve our team structure and reduce overlap,” Lesser wrote. “This will affect some roles across our markets.”

GroupM leadership sent a new memo to employees after the meeting

Following the meeting, Farjami sent a note to employees reiterating the changes. In the note, obtained by ADWEEK, he acknowledged: “This has been a challenging week, especially for those whose roles were impacted. We’re providing support through WPP’s Employee Assistance Program for team members leaving the business, and we have internal employee resources to help you navigate the changes, too.”

Read the full memo below:

Team,

Thank you to everyone who joined today’s all-hands. For those who couldn’t attend, I want to acknowledge this week’s changes and what they mean for all of us at GroupM. 

This has been a challenging week, especially for those whose roles were impacted. We’re providing support through WPP’s Employee Assistance Program for team members leaving the business, and we have internal employee resources to help you navigate the changes, too. These decisions were not made lightly, but they are necessary. As we evolve, we’re building a stronger, more unified GroupM that delivers more opportunity for our people and greater value to our clients. 

Evolving our agency brands, simplifying our structure, and integrating Nexus, Investment, and Campaign Reporting into one unified integrated media team will bring the full power of GroupM to market. This team is a strategic response to the market’s demand for something different. The focus areas — marketplace & partnerships, media activation, media solutions, product innovation, and commerce — position us to lead in an AI-enabled era. We’re also formalizing a client growth & operations team at the center to better support our client teams with greater agility.  

Many of our clients see the value in this vision as they evolve their own businesses. They are optimistic, and so am I. 

As this new chapter takes shape, we’ll grow into it together. Ensuring we listen to you through this change will always be at the front of my mind. Please reach out to your manager or the People team for guidance, and you can continue to ask questions or share feedback here. I’ll keep you updated as we move forward. 

Thank you for your passion and dedication to GroupM, our clients, and each other. 

Sharb

Correction 5/9 at 6:25pm ET: The headline has been changed to indicate that U.S. staffers are affected by the change.

The 2025 IAB NewFronts took us to the Year 3000.

In addition to companies from across the digital video landscape presenting the future of tech and data to marketers all week, celebrities, including “Year 3000” singers the Jonas Brothers, graced the NewFront stages, bringing exclusive announcements, performances, and surprises.

ADWEEK reporters were all over New York covering the NewFronts events, so you didn’t have to be. And we saw it all, from 50 Cent pontificating about LG Ads to Cynthia Erivo defying gravity for Snapchat. Plus, the IAB Main Stage even brought a spoof of Chicago’s “Cell Block Tango” in between.

Without further ado, here are the best moments from the 2025 NewFronts week:

[50 Cent Voice] You Can Find Me in the… LG Ads Presentation

During the LG Ad Solutions NewFronts, the company announced that it recently launched the 50 Cent Action Channel on LG Channels, which will be curated by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson himself. The “In da Club” rapper-turned-entrepreneur even made an appearance during the presentation and during the reception, where he thanked everyone for their support. — Saleah Blancaflor

The takeover continues! 50Cent Action hits LG Channels in April. Same fire, brand new platform • https://t.co/zV4PzIG4sU pic.twitter.com/r45uTbYZrM

— 50cent (@50cent) April 2, 2025

Revry Steals the Show at IAB Main Stage

The LGBTQ+ platform Revry is justly famed for regularly serving Broadway flair on the IAB Main Stage, but this year, they almost disappointed. Co-founder and CEO Damian Pelliccione vowed that there would be no musical numbers at the top of his presentation, inspiring disappointed groans from the audience. Fortunately, he changed his tune midway through, as a mention of Revry’s preferred ad exchange PrismRiot cued up a filmed spoof of the iconic “Cell Block Tango” from Chicago. That brought the windowless room a welcome ray of (Miss Mary) sunshine. — Ethan Alter

Live From New York, It’s T-Mobile

If you’re going to get a Saturday Night Live cast member out of bed before nine on a Tuesday, at least put on a show worth their time. SNL star Marcello Hernández joined his mom and fellow T-Mobile spokesperson Isabel Cancela for T-Mobile Advertising’s NewFronts presentation largely to be funny in sunglasses, note that he’s typically not up at a time that ends in “a.m.,” and was there “to talk about ad solutions”—which got a laugh from the buyers—before the T-Ads team broke into its pitch about data and connections.

After purchasing out-of-home platform Vistar Media and geography-based, privacy-focused ad targeting firm Blis earlier this year, T-Mobile partnered with IPG Mediabrands as it sells brands on T-Ads data that’s flowing through Vistar’s out-of-home signage, billboards, and retail media screens. Part of the end game, as chief T-Ads officer JP Colaco noted, is to sell brands outdoor ads and full retail-media infrastructure that targets consumers based on regional data and app use at various hours of the day… whether Marcello’s awake or not. — Jason Notte

Yahoo is Unlimited With Russell Wilson

During Yahoo’s NewFronts presentation hosted 101 floors above the ground at The Edge in Manhattan, attendees were treated to a surprise visit from New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson and former NBA player (and ADWEEK cover star) Carmelo Anthony. The two joined Rich Kleiman, co-founder of Boardroom, to tease Kleinman’s upcoming web series Network with Rich Kleiman. Anthony bonded with Wilson about the fact that they both have played for New York teams (Anthony previously played with the Knicks from 2011-2017). “Embrace New York and New York will embrace you,” Anthony said to Wilson at one point. — S.B.

YouTube Gets Creative With Creators

YouTube is making a big play for brand dollars with a slate of new features designed to help marketers connect with creators and source insights on creator content. To add some levity to its pitch, it paraded a group of popular YouTubers out onto its NewFront stage in Manhattan on Thursday. Fashion and lifestyle influencer Ashley Alexander, playground interviewer Julian Shapiro-Barnum, and college prep educator Gohar Khan joined Google’s John Battaglia, who heads the company’s social video and influencer business, in a chipper conversation about their journeys as creators, how they leverage the platform’s various tools, and their approach to working with brands.

Then, to add to the creator love, YouTube welcomed the hosts of the Pretty Basic podcast, Alisha Marie and Remi Cruz, who recorded a special live episode in which they unpacked case studies detailing how Fabletics, Louis Vuitton, and Sephora each worked with creators to execute YouTube ad campaigns. — Kendra Barnett

David Letterman Wasn’t a Late Show at Samsung Ads’ Event

We’re a sucker for you, Jonas Brothers. But, no offense here, your appearance at Samsung Ads’ NewFronts event to announce your upcoming tour on Samsung TV Plus was outshone by David Letterman himself. Letterman joined Sang Kim, svp at Samsung Electronics, during the presentation to chat about his new FAST channel on Samsung TV. This month marks the 10th anniversary of Letterman’s Late Show exit, and the legendary late-night host noted that having a curated experience on Samsung TV was more ideal for the series than simply having people watch random clips floating around the internet. Deadline captured part of the chat, so you can see why this would always make our Top 10 List. — Bill Bradley

David Letterman discussing the logo for his new FAST channel at Samsung’s NewFronts presentation in New York pic.twitter.com/LiTqgUWSwI

— Deadline (@DEADLINE) May 6, 2025

Google Trades Cookies for Pizza

At its NewFront event this week, Google went all in on Display and Video 360, bringing new generative AI tools and a retail media solution into the advertising platform. One feature enables advertisers to describe target audiences in plain language and receive curated inventory recommendations. Built on Gemini models, the updates also include AI-powered reporting and support for live event inventory like NFL Sunday Ticket. The NewFront presentation, held at Google’s St. John’s Terminal location in Manhattan, culminated with Bill Reardon, gm of enterprise platform for Google Ads, demoing DV360’s new AI tools with an example of a fictional Chicago deep dish pizza company building its own campaign.

Wrapping up the event, Reardon joked that while Google didn’t have pizza to share with the audience, it did have cookies—an apparent joke about the tech titan’s recent U-turn on cookie deprecation on Chrome. Staffers then appeared in the crowd, passing out pizza-shaped cookies to attendees. — K.B.

Where’s Waldo-Mart?

The big question on ad buyers’ minds going into Vizio’s NewFront presentation this year was how much Walmart would be a part of Vizio’s pitch. But by the looks of the bright, light-filled space at New York’s The Penn District, where the event took place, the quick answer was: not much. Vizio seemed to be running its own show with a handful of Walmart ad executives sprinkled into the audience. Walmart chief growth officer Seth Dallaire briefly chatted with Vizio CEO William Wang about why America’s largest retailer acquired the smart TV manufacturer.

“There’s a lot of adjacency with advertising at Walmart,” Dallaire said. — Lauren Johnson

Tubi Goes Primetime

The Tubi NewFronts presentation was a star-studded event with Colorado Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders and radio personality Rocsi Diaz emceeing the event. Stubios creators like Kelon Campbell, Grant Gibbs, and Ashley Gill were brought on stage to discuss their projects. But perhaps one of the most notable moments was when Tubo CMO Nicole Parlapiano brought out creator Noah Beck, who has more than 47 million followers across social media, and actress Siena Agudong to discuss their upcoming movie Sidelined 2: Intercepted following the success of last year’s Sidelined, which brought in 5.5 million viewers in seven days. It’s a creator-filled future, and we’re just living in it. — S.B.

New York Times’ New Take on News

At The New York Times’ first NewFront since 2019, far and away the most notable element of the presentation was just how little the Grey Lady talked about the news. This was intentional, of course: The Times wanted to impress upon the audience of marketers that its lifestyle properties, several of which did not even exist six years ago, had transformed what the organization meant to audiences. Games, Wirecutter, The Athletic, and Cooking all shared the spotlight equally, with each debuting new video series, products, and ad formats. With this new focus, and one-third of its audience now coming from Gen Z, it is clear that the publisher has remade itself for a new era. — Mark Stenberg

Cynthia Erivo Is Wickedly Good for Snapchat

Snapchat made several announcements, from a new brand campaign to a new music series, and ways for advertisers to better connect with Snapchatters. But the most standout moment was when Cynthia Erivo closed out the show with covers of John Lennon’s “Imagine” and “Feeling Good.” By the end of her performance, the whole room was up on their feet and cheering. It made me feel like I could defy gravity all night long. What a wicked way to end NewFronts week. — S.B.

Cynthia Erivo performing “Feeling Good” at the @Snapchat NewFront pic.twitter.com/j0h8gU9BbI

— Saleah Blancaflor (@saleyley) May 8, 2025

The numbers

79 million — Paramount+ global subscribers, up 11% year over year, with 1.5 million adds in the quarter.

-6% — Total company revenue (excluding Super Bowl LVIII, revenue grew 2%).

16% — Paramount+ revenue increase year over year.

-19% — Ad revenue decrease resulting from the absence of the Super Bowl. Without the Super Bowl, revenue was flat.

The watercooler talk

Paramount came into its Q1 earnings call riding high on CBS winning its 17th consecutive broadcast season and Paramount+ growing to nearly 80 million subscribers. Company executives also shared that they hadn’t seen a meaningful impact from the current macroeconomic uncertainty. However, the company is still prioritizing key investments and taking “incremental steps” to streamline noncontent expenses.

The company is in the midst of its upfront dinners, and executives shared that they felt positive about where discussions were heading. According to Paramount Global co-CEO Chris McCarthy, the scatter market in the current quarter was up double-digits, which he noted has “always been a really interesting early indicator” for the upfront.

The key quote

“Listen, macro is certainly on people’s minds, but everyone is giving us great feedback,” McCarthy said of Paramount’s upfront discussions. “We continue to hear good things, particularly around the unique set of assets and the volume of hits and the really strong sports portfolio.”

For its upfront event last year, Disney teased Star Wars and Marvel projects; brought out stars such as Emma Stone and Rob McElhenney; touted a robust sports slate that included NFL, college football, and WNBA; and even hosted an afterparty where Danny DeVito was hanging out and taking selfies.

This year’s goal is simple: outdo it all.

“I thought our show last year hit it out of the park, and yet this year the plan is to one-up it,” Rita Ferro, Disney’s president of global advertising, explained to ADWEEK. “We’re super excited about what people are going to see, the announcements we’re going to make, the talent that’s going to be on stage, and all of that with a focus on brevity.”

Brevity may be a challenge, especially with Disney’s full roster of live entertainment tentpoles like the Oscars with Conan O’Brien and the Country Music Awards; a sports lineup with properties such as college football, the NFL, the WNBA, and the NBA; and an ongoing expansion of Disney+ globally.

Plus, the company is already having talks for its upcoming 2027 Super Bowl, which Disney will air in the first couple months of that year alongside the College Football Championship, the Grammys, and Oscars.

Ahead of Disney’s upfront presentation on May 13, Ferro spoke with ADWEEK about the company’s upcoming offerings, addressed the current market uncertainty brought on by tariffs, and explained what Disney has in mind for Super Bowl 61.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

You’re trying to one-up last year’s upfront event. However, last year, you made your entrance in a Family Guy cartoon, so that’s not easy.

That was a lot of fun. I’m not gonna lie. And by the way, as a mom, I got more props for that than absolutely anything else I do. So that was a moment. It was really special.

What are the priorities this year?

The importance for us is on, “We have unrivaled storytelling and the most diverse and robust portfolio of sports rights in the marketplace, bar none.” Disney sits at the intersection of quality storytelling and content, as well as the most advanced technology and data stack that was built for streaming, so people know exactly what they’re buying when they come here. Yet, at the same time, we want to make sure that we’re providing the most value for our partners and agencies and things that they’re looking forward to doing across our portfolio. That’s anchored in both IP and how we think about live, which is such a critical piece of everything brands are talking to us about.

You can have streaming platforms of all shapes and sizes, all types of content, but the stories matter. We know that based on the way that we deliver on outcomes for customers, and that’s important. Ultimately, being flexible, understanding the environment that they’re in right now in terms of what’s going on in this dynamic marketplace with changes in business cultures, tariffs, supply chain, and so we’re in with our partners every single day having those conversations to make sure that this is ultimately about outcomes, not eyeballs.

You mentioned tariffs. How is Disney approaching brands amid the current uncertainty?

We want to make sure that for the brands that want to take advantage of these moments, for the brands that need help in how they show up in these moments, that they have the most opportunity, whether that’s through live sports, streaming, big campaigns, small campaigns, integration, second screen experiences, different types of advertising formats, all the flexibility that’s required to be the best partner that they have.

What we have found—we found it in Covid-19—we’ve seen it time and time again in times of challenged marketplaces, that’s a moment where people go back to their tried and true partners, where they spend more with the brands that they trust, who have been transparent with them, who have been in it with them, and who have proven that they’re great partners and deliver the outcomes that they need.

You had an ad sales reorganization last summer to reach more midmarket advertisers. What are the results since then?

Having that midmarket team, in just the short period of time that we have, we’ve really seen a significant difference in the types of business we’re doing with them. It also helps from a perspective of seeing different marketplaces and having a diversified pool of marketers across the portfolio—because different industries are going to be impacted differently by these tariffs. We grew our advertiser base significantly in the last couple of months. Having that is important for us to continue to diversify and learn candidly from different industries.

What are the live sports tentpoles you’re excited to share with advertisers?

What am I excited about? So much. I’m just gonna go through my calendar! Our college football portfolio of sports rights this year is outstanding. The new format for the College Football Championship, the SEC coming to ESPN and ABC, the ACC and the growth of that conference, all of college football is a tremendous driver of multiyear partnerships with brands, and I couldn’t be more excited about College GameDay and the growth there.

We continue to have an incredible opportunity around the NFL together with college football. There is no home for football in the fall bigger and with more opportunity for brands than ESPN and ABC. We have incredible talent in front and behind the camera. The ManningCast, as well, to give you an alternative viewing experience, is hilarious. We have the NBA deal, of all of these new NBA deals, that matters. We have everything except one round of the playoffs on ESPN, ABC, and we exclusively have the NBA Finals, and the majority of the money on NBA moves in that window. In addition, we will now have Inside the NBA. And by the way, as part of that deal, we also got a renewed deal with the WNBA, which, again—women’s sports. Could I say anything more? Sixty-five percent of all live women’s sports hours sit across our platform. And that is a massive growth opportunity for us.

What can you say about the ESPN flagship streamer coming later this year?

We are thrilled to have ESPN streaming. That will launch in the fall, and that will be the place for fans to come to experience not only all 100% of all of their live sports and network coverage, but sports betting, sports fantasy, social sharing, clips, the best of talent and everything they’re doing, all in one place with personalization that they’ve never had before. Not only the massive sports fan, but the casual sports consumer, will have one place where they’ll find everything they want to watch from ESPN and ABC to consume, engage, share, and spend time. I am super excited about what that’s going to mean in terms of how we extend the sports brand partnerships with all of the customers we’re working with.

In addition, you have the Super Bowl coming in 2027. Have talks already started there?

We have over 67 multiyear deals that are mostly anchored in football, and so many of those are coming up now, and clients want to have the opportunity to tie in what they’re doing in that space to be a part of the Super Bowl. Those conversations have been happening for a while now.

It’s also an event that’s going to be happening in Los Angeles, which is our home. Our headquarters is in Los Angeles. We have a park in Los Angeles, so there are a lot of conversations around how the Walt Disney Company takes over and shows up for the Super Bowl in a way that will be representative of not only everything ESPN does and ABC does and all of our news and information shows do, but how does the Walt Disney Company show up through our station, KABC, in L.A., too? So we’re going to have a surround coverage that I think the Super Bowl has never experienced.

Spectrum said it will launch a new national Spanish-language news network called Spectrum Noticias.

The network is available on Spectrum TV lineups across the Company’s 41-state service area. Additionally, local Spectrum Noticias news bureaus have been established in Los Angeles, New York City, Florida and Texas.

Spectrum Noticias features 24 hours of continuous Spanish-language news from journalists embedded in local communities and Washington D.C. The network brings viewers continuous updates and live reporting on major events, comprehensive analysis of critical issues, weather forecasts, and reporting on stories that celebrate and explore Hispanic culture and heritage.

“Objective journalism is a key pillar of a democratic society and Spectrum News is at the forefront,” said Mike Bair, executive vice president of Spectrum Networks. “The launch of Spectrum Noticias underscores our dedication by expanding access to high-quality news programming and providing a trusted option to our Spanish-speaking viewers.”

Spectrum Noticias’ weekday lineup begins with anchor Patsi Arias each morning, followed by afternoon news anchored by Philip Klint.

Spanish-language news veteran María Rozman recently joined Spectrum News as senior director of News for Spectrum Noticias to lead editorial content for the network. A five-time Emmy Award winner who most recently served as news director for Telemundo in Atlanta, she brings a wealth of experience from her previous roles as programming director, executive producer, anchor and correspondent.

“In addition to our English-language networks, our launch of Spectrum Noticias brings Spectrum News’ brand of award-winning storytelling to an audience that prefers to watch their news in Spanish,” said Rozman. “With our team of journalists living in the communities we serve, we deliver reliable and balanced local, national and international news that is relevant to the Spanish-speaking community.”

The first rule of surviving an urban zombie apocalypse is to barricade yourself on the upper floors of a skyscraper. But here’s the second rule: Zombies don’t follow rules.

On Tuesday, ADWEEK was on hand to watch walkers run… uh, walk rampant at the top of the Empire State Building as part of a New York City takeover orchestrated by the big brains at AMC Networks. The multi-day campaign leads into the Season 2 premiere of The Walking Dead: Dead City on May 4 at 9 p.m.

One of several spin-offs to rise from the ashes of The Walking Dead mothership series—which went to its great reward in 2022—Dead City relocates fan favorites Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Lauren Cohan, and Lucille to the wasteland formerly known as Manhattan.

But before those pesky walkers showed up atop the Empire State, the show’s cast and current franchise mastermind Scott M. Gimple took photos against the backdrop of a living, breathing Big Apple.

And the Empire State Building wasn’t their only stop. Before pulling up to the high-rise that kept Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan up all night, the Walkers got their nosh on at a Penn Station-adjacent PopUp Bagels spot, and subsequent landmark visits included Radio City Music Hall and Citi Field ahead of the match-up between the Mets and the Arizona Diamondbacks.

“It’s beyond thrilling,” Gimple tells ADWEEK about the Tuesday takeover. “I grew up in New Jersey and kicked around the city as a kid, and there were things I saw that I’ve remembered my whole life.”

New York’s zombie invasion technically started on Sunday when Walkers showed up at the Brooklyn half-marathon to scare runners on.

The following evening, Morgan, Cohan, and Gimple screened the season premiere at a Rooftop Films event where Walkers wisely weren’t invited.

The Dead City NYC takeover comes months after the stars of Severance used Grand Central Station as a stage for the return of the AppleTV+ series—a stunt that ranks among the most genius marketing moves for any fan-facing show.

Gimple, for one, recognizes how that Severance activation raised the game. “Seeing stories you love come to life is jarring in the best way possible—it brings some magic to the world,” he notes. “Activations are becoming an art form in and of itself.”

For Gimple, activations are “fan appreciation opportunities, first and foremost.”

“We wouldn’t have been here this long, doing all these things without the support of these incredible fans,” he said. “Kicking things off right is about creating moments for them.”

Dead City’s Manhattan takeover culminated in a Paley Center screening and talkback on Wednesday before the cast dispersed to locations beyond the 10001 zip code. But Gimple already has a pitch for the next New York hot spot they can zombie-fy in a Season 3 activation.

“I think a horde of walkers collapsing on the ice at Rockefeller Center could be pretty epic,” he muses.

Talk about your cool ideas.

For marketers, AI promises a leap in productivity—but only when guided by a clear strategy and human oversight. The question isn’t whether to use AI, but how to use it responsibly and effectively.

That question was front and center at the Digital Trust Summit 2025, an event founded and produced by Global Data Innovation and its CEO, Dominique Shelton Leipzig. Tech innovators, CEOs, government leaders, and regulators gathered in Washington, DC to tackle urgent challenges around AI governance, cybersecurity, regulation, and digital risk. As organizations race to adopt AI, the complexities of digital transformation and data protection are only growing.

Leipzig reminded the audience, “But trust will not happen all by itself. We must program trust into AI now.” With that urgency in mind, here are some key highlights from the event.

Building trust in AI requires leadership, culture, and curiosity

Trust in AI doesn’t happen by default—it must be deliberately designed into systems from the start. That means embedding fairness, transparency, and ethical considerations throughout development. Clear frameworks are essential for data governance, privacy, and intellectual property protection.

Equally important is fostering a culture where curiosity is encouraged, and failure is seen as a learning opportunity. Leaders must distinguish between flawed AI outputs and underlying process issues while empowering teams to ask hard questions and think differently. Trust, after all, isn’t just a technical problem—it’s a human one. The organizations that thrive will be those that identify AI initiatives that energize them and explore their broader implications with diverse input.

Technology governance requires responsible leadership and vigilance

Strong governance in the digital era begins with aligning both human and AI decision-making to a company’s core values. Some organizations are adopting triage-style systems to categorize risks and gauge the health of decisions—from low-risk “green” zones to critical “red” alerts.

As emerging technologies like AI and blockchain reshape the landscape, some organizations are struggling to balance innovation with safety. The learning curve is steep, and while many aren’t fully equipped to keep up, it doesn’t mean it’s impossible. With the right mindset and follow-through, meaningful progress is possible.

AI governance requires both strong oversight and a proactive approach to risk

Brands don’t need to be made up of AI experts, but they do need to ask the right questions. Establishing clear frameworks for AI usage—particularly around privacy, security, and ethics—is critical. The risks are real, from transparency lapses to outright misuse.

The EU’s AI Act, which bans predictive policing and social scoring, offers one potential roadmap. Proactive risk assessments, transparency, and human oversight can build public trust and minimize regulatory and reputational fallout. Oversight shouldn’t stifle innovation—but enable it safely.

The future of AI and digital trust

As AI continues to evolve, the path forward requires ongoing collaboration, adaptation, and a commitment to strong governance. The challenges presented by its growth will test the resilience of organizations, from boardrooms to management teams. Companies must prioritize leadership, structure, and strategy to navigate the complexities ahead.

As Leipzig put it, “This moment isn’t just a test of leadership. It’s a test of legacy.”

Those who invest in continuous learning, ethical practices, and proactive planning will not only keep pace with AI but also help define a future worth trusting.

Since it opened its doors in 1924, Saks Fifth Avenue’s flagship store has defined what it means to window shop in New York. Even as the department-store era continues to fade into history, Saks’ 12 gigantic displays behind plate glass continue to draw visitors eager to peek at the medleys of Balmain handbags, Ileana Makri necklaces, and Dolce & Gabbana sneakers.

This week, visitors got their first glimpse at those same tableaux without having to trek to Fifth Avenue. 

As announced on Tuesday (April 29), the department store has set up shop on the world’s largest online marketplace as a standalone destination called Saks on Amazon. The platform has Amazon’s familiar features, like next-day shipping and free returns, but the abundance of white space denotes a higher-end experience—as do the virtual store windows.

“Inspired by the iconic windows at the Saks Fifth Avenue New York flagship, these digital displays allow customers to window shop the Saks on Amazon storefront,” Amazon said in a prepared statement, “with the added convenience of instantly adding items to their cart.”

The new store signals as much change for Saks as it does for Amazon—and, according to veteran retail analyst Bruce Winder, it’s likely to benefit both parties.

“Amazon was in need of credibility for their luxury stores initiative and, by adding Saks and its partner brands, they have done just that,” Winder said. 

Meanwhile, “Saks needs to target millennials and Gen Z, digital natives who will search online first,” he added.

Since opening its Luxury Stores platform in 2020, Amazon has been trying to capture more of the luxury market—no mean feat, given the platform’s associations with high volume and deep discounting. Sergio Hudson and Oscar de la Renta signed onto that initiative, but few others did. Those taking a pass included the ultimate luxury conglomerate, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE. An unidentified executive with the French company told the Wall Street Journal that year that it didn’t want its brands to be associated with the Amazon name.

Historically, luxe brands have also had a gripe with Amazon over third-party malfeasants who list counterfeit goods. In 2023, Amazon threw $1.2 billion at the problem, money that paid for some 15,000 “machine-learning scientists, software developers, and expert investigators,” as Amazon corporate put it, to create a dragnet for dubious merchandise. The company’s Brand Protection Report for 2024 noted that “Amazon stopped more than 700,000 bad actor attempts to create new selling accounts.”

Brands also must consent to have their goods featured in Saks on Amazon, which may prove to be an added incentive.

For Saks, the Amazon storefront may help to address the debts incurred in its $2.65 billion acquisition of Neiman Marcus Group last year, Winder noted. Amazon was among the investors in that deal, so its emergence as a platform for Saks isn’t especially surprising.

But above all, Saks’ venture with Amazon opens the door for more customer traffic while also marking the evolution of luxury brands’ feelings about ecommerce.

While Saks.com has existed since 2000, many luxury brands have been slow converts to online retail. Dior, for example, didn’t dip its toe in until 2015, when it debuted an online pop-up shop with Bergdorf Goodman. Chanel refused to sell online until 2016, and Celine waited until 2017. As analysts have noted, it took the disappearance of walk-in customers during the COVID-19 pandemic to shock the high-end houses into fully investing in ecommerce.

“Historically, luxury brands wish to engage customers through brick-and-mortar channels so they can inspire shoppers…through best-in-class service,” Winder said. “However, as the need to target younger customers grows, Saks sees the opportunity to meet millennials and Gen Z where they shop.” 

What’s more, “Amazon’s AI agents help with the curation aspect and Amazon’s storefront and convenience has become so advanced, it can offer a new alternative sales channel for luxury customers,” he added.

For the record, luxury customers can still window shop the old fashioned way. The 12 windows on Fifth Avenue are currently promoting… Amazon.

A documentary directed by WLBT executive producer Kayla Thomas that tells the story of Mississippi’s African American farmers land ownership struggles after enslavement.

The doc, Farming Freedom, is an independent production not affiliated with WLBT that will air in May. It’s a story told through the lens of Thomas’ grandfather, Henry Harris, a retired second-generation farmer whose father, John Harris, managed to buy and keep farmland while Jim Crow laws were still in effect.

“It’s awesome. I’m glad I was able to live long enough to see this celebration. My children are here, [my] grandchildren, [my] great grand, and all of my friends from different places. I’m excited. I know a man is not supposed to cry, but I want to cry,” Henry Harris said.

Harris was able to hold onto his father’s land despite 98% of black farm owners being dispossessed and racially discriminated against by U.S. Department of Agriculture loan programs.

“That’s what the story is about. [It is] to enlighten young people, young black [people], about the struggle. They [are] trying to take the black history out of the school, but they can’t take it out of your heart. All the elderly parents get to tell their children the story. And you know, you’ll never know where you are unless you know where you came from,” Harris said.

“I think it will be super impactful, particularly on people who may have some type of relationship with land already and they may not have grasped the significance of it. I know for me, we grew up living on this land. [I] grew up all my life knowing the story that my grandfather had acquired this land, but I didn’t really grasp the significance of how big of a deal that was or how big of a feat that was, considering the history that came before that,” Thomas said.

Here’s how to watch: The Farming Freedom television premiere is on May 4 at 11 a.m. Add the WLBT app on your Roku, Amazon Fire, or Apple TV streaming devices. If you live in the central/southwest Mississippi viewing area, you can watch it on WLBT Channel 3 at 11 a.m. on May 4.