In today’s Digest we discuss Perplexity stopping ads to protect AI trust, Havas posting APAC gains in a ‘transformative’ year, and Nvidia landing a multibillion-dollar deal with Meta.

Perplexity abandons ads to protect trust in AI 

Perplexity AI has withdrawn from advertising, citing concerns that sponsored content could undermine user confidence in its chatbot’s answers. Executives confirmed this week that there are no current plans to progress with ads, following the start of their phaseout late last year. arguing that users must trust they are receiving the best possible answer if they are to remain engaged and willing to pay for subscriptions.

Executives said the company’s priority remains answer accuracy, maintaining that advertising may be fundamentally misaligned with user expectations.

Havas posts gains in ‘transformative’ year

Havas reported global organic growth of +3.1% in 2025, exceeding its guidance range of +2.5% to +3.0%, as it reported net revenue of €2.78bn (£2.52bn) and continued margin expansion. This growth was supported by major account wins including Emirates’ global media business, while net income rose 9.2% to €210m (£182.3m). Operating cash flow after working capital surged 53% to €360m (£314m), underscoring improved financial discipline alongside topline growth.

Regionally, Europe remained the group’s largest contributor, delivering solid organic growth, while North America also posted gains despite a competitive market backdrop. Asia Pacific, which includes Africa in Havas’s reporting structure, accounted for 9% of total revenue for the year. Chief executive Yannick Bolloré described 2025 as a “transformative year”, citing Havas’s public listing on Euronext Amsterdam and the rollout of its Converged.AI operating system.

Nvidia lands multibillion-dollar Meta deal

Meta has struck a multiyear agreement worth billions of dollars to purchase millions of advanced chips from Nvidia, reinforcing the chipmaker’s grip on the booming AI data centre market even as competition intensifies. The deal expands Meta’s existing relationship with Nvidia and comes after chief executive Mark Zuckerberg outlined plans to almost double the company’s AI infrastructure. Industry analysts estimate the agreement runs into the billions, underscoring the scale of investment required to power next-generation artificial intelligence systems.

The commitment includes Nvidia’s forthcoming “Vera Rubin” chips and standalone central processing units, marking the first time a major tech group has opted to deploy Nvidia CPUs separately at scale.