Audion

OpenAI Expands Ad Formats; Cloudflare Tests Pay‑per‑Query

OpenAI is hiring engineers focused on new ad formats — including image, video and conversational units — signaling plans to broaden its ChatGPT ad experiences while emphasizing privacy and trust. Cloudflare expanded tools to classify crawlers (search, agent, training) and is shifting from a pay‑per‑crawl approach to testing a pay‑per‑query model that compensates publishers when AI uses their content, partnering with startups Ceramic.ai and You.com on pilots. The Daily News Roundup also notes regulatory developments around the Paramount‑WBD merger (EU concessions filed; EU approval deadline extended to July 22) and various industry briefs including a Swedish antitrust ruling requiring Google to pay Klarna, hiring moves at Meta and WPP Production, and new hires at AI ad platform Audion.

Audion Raises $15M Series B to Scale AI Audio Ads

Audion, an AI-driven audio advertising platform co-founded by Kamel El Hadef and Arthur Larrey, announced a $15M Series B to scale its technology that treats audio as a full-funnel performance channel. In a MarTech Series interview, co‑CEO Kamel El Hadef described Audion’s differentiation as the combination of AI models plus proprietary listening data from direct integrations with creators and audio publishers across five markets. The company emphasises contextual, consent-based targeting (primarily mobile device IDs) and real‑time AI-based contextual analysis to avoid reliance on third‑party cookies or personal identifiers, positioning audio for measurable campaign outcomes and faster brief-to-activation timelines.

Audion CEO on Performance Audio, AI, and Measurement

Quo Vadis published an interview with Arthur Larrey, CEO and co‑founder of Audion, on June 9, 2026. Larrey discusses the evolution of digital audio from an awareness channel into a performance channel driven by better data, activation technologies, cross‑channel measurement, and AI. Audion positions itself as a performance audio platform that emphasizes proving incremental business outcomes across awareness, consideration, intent, site visits, lead generation and sales. The interview highlights dynamic creative, contextual targeting, AI‑assisted campaign optimization, and the convergence of audio and video (notably video podcasts). The post also lists multiple Cannes Lions events and panels where industry leaders (e.g., Sir Martin Sorrell, Brian O’Kelley, Brian Wieser) will discuss commerce media, transparency, and identity topics.