In today’s MadTech Daily, we discuss AI strengthening Big Tech’s hold on ad growth, China pulling ahead of the US in consumer AI adoption, and Amazon hitting the USD$1bn (£750m) sales milestone in India. 

AI strengthens Big Tech’s hold on ad growth

The advertising industry's growth story is increasingly a story about three companies. Google, Meta and Amazon now capture 56% of US advertising revenue, according to Madison & Wall's latest estimates, up from 53% just a year earlier. The gains are spread across all three: Google climbed from 28% to 29% of the market, Meta jumped from 17% to 19%, and Amazon edged up from 8% to 9%. Everyone else combined fell from 47% down to 43%. 

The broader ad market is expanding faster than expected, but that's almost beside the point. The real story is that the biggest platforms aren't just riding the wave, they're absorbing a disproportionate share of every new dollar that enters the system, leaving the rest of the industry to fight over a shrinking slice.

China pulls ahead of US in consumer AI adoption

China has quietly pulled ahead of the US in one crucial AI battleground: getting ordinary people to actually use it. According to Morgan Stanley, 80% of Chinese respondents use AI for personal purposes at least weekly, compared with just 54% in the US. The bank's research shows China's generative AI user base more than doubled in a single year, growing from roughly 249 million in December 2024 to 602 million by December 2025 a faster climb than mobile internet adoption saw over a similar stretch. 

That gap doesn't stem from superior technology. Basic AI access is free in both countries, and American models still lead on raw capability. What sets China apart, Morgan Stanley argues, is distribution: AI features are woven directly into the apps people already use for shopping, messaging, search and entertainment, rather than requiring a separate download.

Amazon Now hits $1bn India sales milestone

Amazon's quick-commerce bet in India is starting to pay off. The company said Tuesday that Amazon Now, its ultra-fast delivery service, has crossed USD$1bn (£750m) in annualised gross sales, with orders doubling every quarter since launch roughly a year ago. That makes it the fastest-growing business unit in Amazon India's history, according to the company, and puts it on a collision course with entrenched rivals like Eternal's Blinkit, the market leader, along with Swiggy Instamart and Zepto.

The expansion has been rapid with Amazon now reaches more than 60 cities and towns, four times as many as it covered less than ten weeks ago, with a target of 100 cities by Diwali and an eventual goal of 300-plus cities nationwide.