Fluency vs Fluent

Deciding What AI Should Never Control in Advertising

Eric Picard of Fluency argues that while LLMs and AI agents will become part of advertising workflows, the industry must clearly define what parts of campaign operations AI must never control. He warns that LLMs are probabilistic and therefore unsuitable for making irreversible budgetary or execution decisions without human-in-the-loop governance. Picard outlines three lessons from running automated advertising at scale: platform APIs do not teach operational wisdom, governance must be encoded into automation from the start, and the most valuable automation scales a buyer’s strategic thinking while keeping deterministic execution for money-moving systems.

• Opinion piece by Eric Picard (Fluency) published on August 17, 2026.
• The article argues LLMs are probabilistic and should not be allowed to make irreversible advertising spend or execution decisions without human oversight.
• Picard presents three lessons from running automated advertising at scale: API knowledge ≠ operational know-how; automation requires built-in governance; and automation should scale a buyer's strategic intent with deterministic execution.

Fluent Names Jeanniey Walden Chief Marketing Officer

Fluent, Inc. announced the appointment of Jeanniey Walden as Chief Marketing Officer, effective September 8, 2026.

Fluent Names Jeanniey Walden Chief Marketing Officer

Fluent, Inc. announced the appointment of Jeanniey Walden as Chief Marketing Officer, as listed in the newsroom press releases section.

Fluent reshuffles management; Victoria Chyba promoted

Hamburg-based agency Fluent, a subsidiary of the Pahnke Group, is reorganizing its management with the appointment of Victoria Chyba to the executive board. Chyba, who joined Fluent in 2023 and most recently served as Director Media overseeing media, controlling and billing for clients including DocMorris, will lead the Media division and assume responsibility for operational finances. She replaces Sven Klabundt, who is leaving the agency. Founders Géza Unbehagen and Andreas Bahr remain with Fluent but will take on new responsibilities, and Unbehagen reportedly intends to withdraw from day-to-day operations. From August 1 the board will comprise Victoria Chyba alongside Martin Loytved, creative head Daniel Frericks and Pahnke CEO Lars Lammers.

• Fluent, a Hamburg agency and Pahnke Group subsidiary, is reorganizing its management.
• Victoria Chyba was appointed to Fluent's executive board; she joined in 2023 and formerly served as Director Media (media, controlling, billing) for clients including DocMorris.
• Chyba will lead the Media division and oversee operational finances, replacing Sven Klabundt, who is leaving.