On this week's episode of the podcast, I am joined by Julian Togelius, a professor of computer science at NYU and director of the NYU Game Innovation Lab. We delve into how games serve as the perfect sandbox for AI development, the potential for generative tools to revolutionize production workflows, and how the future of play might involve infinite, procedurally generated worlds that adapt to every player's unique style. Among other things, we discuss:How AI researchers leverage the inherent fun and learning mechanisms within video game environmentsWhether the financial markets function as a complex game requiring the same reinforcement learning strategies used in digital playIf consumer backlash against AI-generated assets will ultimately give way to the promise of faster and more ambitious development cyclesWhat possibilities exist for truly open-ended games that utilize real-time world generation to create infinite, personalized player journeysHow the role of the game developer shifts toward system architecture and critical thinking as coding becomes increasingly automatedWhen and if world models will transition from impressive tech demos to foundational tools for interactive entertainmentThanks to the sponsors of this week’s episode of the Mobile Dev Memo podcast:⁠⁠⁠⁠INCRMNTAL⁠⁠⁠. True attribution measures incrementality, always on.Xsolla⁠. With the Xsolla Web Shop, you can create a direct storefront, cut fees down to as low as 5%, and keep players engaged with bundles, rewards, and analytics.⁠Branch⁠. Branch is an AI-powered MMP, connecting every paid, owned, and organic touchpoint so growth teams can see exactly where to put their dollars to bring users in the door and keep them coming backInterested in sponsoring the Mobile Dev Memo podcast? Contact Mobile Dev Memo advertising.

On this week's episode of the podcast, I am joined by Phil Black, one of the co-hosts of the Game Economist Cast, a podcast dedicated to game economy design, and a consultant with Game Economist Consulting. Previously, Phil held game economist and analytics roles at Amazon Games, DICE, and Scopely. Phil is also a panelist on the This Week in Games (TWIG) podcast. Phil joins me on this episode to examine the shifting dynamics of the mobile gaming economy, from the consolidation of high-revenue genres to the strategic adoption of AI and direct-to-consumer models. Among other things, we discuss:How the concentration of mobile gaming revenue into puzzle and 4X genres reshapes the competitive landscape for independent developersWhether the integration of hyper-casual mechanics into core loops represents a fundamental evolution of the modern mobile gaming economyWhy the transition from visual AI outputs to deep personalization remains the primary value proposition for future game monetizationWhat the divergence between Android and iOS installation gates reveals about the health of the global mobile marketing ecosystemIf the rise of third-party web shops and direct-to-consumer models can effectively counteract the platform fees of major storesHow the emergence of warbonds and sampling-based monetization strategies signals a shift away from traditional battle pass reward structuresWhen the mobile gaming industry will move beyond post-ATT recovery strategiesThanks to the sponsors of this week’s episode of the Mobile Dev Memo podcast:⁠⁠⁠⁠INCRMNTAL⁠⁠⁠. True attribution measures incrementality, always on.Xsolla⁠. With the Xsolla Web Shop, you can create a direct storefront, cut fees down to as low as 5%, and keep players engaged with bundles, rewards, and analytics.⁠Branch⁠. Branch is an AI-powered MMP, connecting every paid, owned, and organic touchpoint so growth teams can see exactly where to put their dollars to bring users in the door and keep them coming backInterested in sponsoring the Mobile Dev Memo podcast? Contact Mobile Dev Memo advertising.The Mobile Dev Memo podcast is available on:YouTubeApple PodcastsSpotify

On this week's episode of the podcast, I am joined by Andrew Lipsman to discuss the evolving landscape of agentic commerce and retail media. Andrew is an independent analyst and consultant who runs the Media, Ads + Commerce blog, which covers the retail media landscape. Prior to this, Andrew held roles at eMarketer and comScore. This is Andrew's third appearance on the podcast.In our conversation, Andrew and I take stock of the evolution of the concept of agentic commerce since we last spoke six months ago, moving from the initial hype of autonomous AI agents to a more grounded reality of AI-assisted shopping experiences. Our conversation examines the failure of independent instant checkout experiments, the strength of established retail ecosystems like Amazon and Walmart, and the emerging opportunities in performance television and in-store digital advertising. Among other things, we discuss:Whether the failure of instant checkout experiments signals a permanent preference for direct retailer relationships over AI intermediariesHow the paradox of choice and the need for basket building hinder the efficiency of single-option agentic transactionsIf the success of Amazon's Rufus proves that AI utility belongs on retail platforms rather than independent LLM interfacesWhy the western market's fragmented ecosystem makes the development of a Chinese-style shopping super app highly improbableWhat the massive investment in AI infrastructure means for the competitive landscape against established giants like Amazon and GoogleWhen performance TV and in-store retail media will finally become a core priority for brand-focused chief marketing officersHow Shopify's role as an audience network might evolve as direct-to-consumer brands seek diversification beyond Meta and GoogleThanks to the sponsors of this week’s episode of the Mobile Dev Memo podcast:⁠⁠⁠⁠INCRMNTAL⁠⁠⁠. True attribution measures incrementality, always on.Xsolla⁠. With the Xsolla Web Shop, you can create a direct storefront, cut fees down to as low as 5%, and keep players engaged with bundles, rewards, and analytics.⁠Branch⁠. Branch is an AI-powered MMP, connecting every paid, owned, and organic touchpoint so growth teams can see exactly where to put their dollars to bring users in the door and keep them coming backInterested in sponsoring the Mobile Dev Memo podcast? Contact Mobile Dev Memo advertising.The Mobile Dev Memo podcast is available on:YouTubeApple PodcastsSpotify

The Prosperous Society is a podcast series by Mobile Dev Memo that articulates an AI Bull Thesis for the digital economy. It argues that the pervasive application of AI to the digital economy will be broadly economically expansionary, leading to increased individual prosperity, expanded consumer choice, and greater human agency.In Episode 3, I make the case that artificial intelligence stands to erode the Pareto Principle as it applies to production, as AI-enabled distribution efficiencies will enable firms to reach niche, specific audiences profitably. This will result in a wider diversity of goods being produced, creating a compounding effect on economic expansion and allowing consumers to better explore and define their own preferences and tastes.Thanks to the sponsors of this week’s episode of the Mobile Dev Memo podcast:⁠⁠INCRMNTAL⁠⁠⁠. True attribution measures incrementality, always on.Xsolla⁠. With the Xsolla Web Shop, you can create a direct storefront, cut fees down to as low as 5%, and keep players engaged with bundles, rewards, and analytics.⁠Branch⁠. Branch is an AI-powered MMP, connecting every paid, owned, and organic touchpoint so growth teams can see exactly where to put their dollars to bring users in the door and keep them coming backInterested in sponsoring the Mobile Dev Memo podcast? Contact Mobile Dev Memo advertising.The Mobile Dev Memo podcast is available on:SpotifyYouTubeApple Podcasts

On this week's episode of the podcast, I am joined by Dan Taylor, the Vice President of Global Ads at Google. We discuss the profound impact of generative AI on search behavior and the technological evolution required to support the next era of digital advertising. Among other things, we discuss:How the shift from keyword-based search to conversational intent will redefine the core mechanics of performance marketing attributionWhether the increased monetization of long-tail conversational queries can offset the potential traffic loss for traditional web publishersWhat role LLM-based ad ranking plays in reducing irrelevant placements and improving the overall efficiency of digital campaignsIf the consolidation of advertising tools into automated systems like Performance Max represents the final end of manual controlWhy the emergence of universal commerce protocols might eventually allow AI agents to handle the entire checkout process autonomouslyHow the return to marketing mix modeling and first-party data signals a broader renaissance in rigorous measurement techniquesThanks to the sponsors of this week’s episode of the Mobile Dev Memo podcast:⁠⁠⁠⁠INCRMNTAL⁠⁠⁠. True attribution measures incrementality, always on.Xsolla⁠. With the Xsolla Web Shop, you can create a direct storefront, cut fees down to as low as 5%, and keep players engaged with bundles, rewards, and analytics.⁠Branch⁠. Branch is an AI-powered MMP, connecting every paid, owned, and organic touchpoint so growth teams can see exactly where to put their dollars to bring users in the door and keep them coming backInterested in sponsoring the Mobile Dev Memo podcast? Contact Mobile Dev Memo advertising.The Mobile Dev Memo podcast is available on:YouTubeApple PodcastsSpotify

On this week's episode of the podcast, I am joined by Ben Sperry, a senior scholar at the International Center for Law and Economics, to explore the shifting landscape of social media litigation. We dive deep into recent court rulings in California and New Mexico that challenge the historical protections of Section 230 by focusing on product design rather than hosted content (see a recent piece by Ben, "Treating Speech as a Bug, Not a Feature," for more background). Among other things, we discuss:Why the shift from content-based liability to product design claims might permanently dismantle the protections afforded by Section 230How the threat of punitive damages may force platforms to implement aggressive age-gating and collateral censorship measuresWhether applying product liability standards to algorithmic recommendation features creates friction with First Amendment principlesWhether smaller tech entrants and startups can survive a legal environment defined by constant litigation and high compliance costsWhat the recent jury verdicts against Meta and Google signal for the future of algorithmic curation across the broader internet ecosystemWhen the focus on addictive design features like infinite scroll will begin to impact other services like streaming platformsHow generative AI and large language models will be categorized under speech laws if Section 230 remains inapplicableThanks to the sponsors of this week’s episode of the Mobile Dev Memo podcast:⁠⁠⁠⁠INCRMNTAL⁠⁠⁠. True attribution measures incrementality, always on.Xsolla⁠. With the Xsolla Web Shop, you can create a direct storefront, cut fees down to as low as 5%, and keep players engaged with bundles, rewards, and analytics.⁠Branch⁠. Branch is an AI-powered MMP, connecting every paid, owned, and organic touchpoint so growth teams can see exactly where to put their dollars to bring users in the door and keep them coming backInterested in sponsoring the Mobile Dev Memo podcast? Contact Mobile Dev Memo advertising.

The Prosperous Society is a podcast series by Mobile Dev Memo that articulates an AI Bull Thesis for the digital economy. It argues that the pervasive application of AI to the digital economy will be broadly economically expansionary, leading to increased individual prosperity, expanded consumer choice, and greater human agency.In Episode 2, I argue that the Western political economy treats commerce as a primary mechanism of individual expression, and that artificial intelligence has the capacity to make commerce more expressive as an outward representation of the individual. In this way, the personalization promise of AI should be embraced and amplified, and applications of AI that subsume commerce, or treat it as a chore, are misaligned with the core benefits of AI. By contrast, advertising aligns incentives, incorporates private value through bids, and scales across heterogeneous products and margins, making it the more durable and effective model for product discovery in an AI-driven economy.

On this week's episode of the podcast, I am joined by Felix The, SVP of Product and Engineering - Advertising at Unity, to discuss the inner workings of Unity's Vector product and the strategic integration of engine-level data into the advertising ecosystem. We explore how Unity is rebuilding its machine learning infrastructure to provide more granular predictions and better performance for mobile gaming advertisers. Among other things, we discuss:How the integration of real-time game engine signals can improve user acquisition performance for mobile game advertisersWhy the shift toward massive unified models represents a fundamental departure from the traditional fragmented approach to machine learningWhether the use of runtime data provides a decisive competitive advantage over traditional software development kit signals for predictive modelingWhat the transition from manual creative production to generative exploration means for the long-term sustainability of performance marketing budgetsIf the ability to test core gameplay loops through playables before full development can significantly reduce traditional soft launch riskHow personalized creative units tailored to micro-cohorts will solve the persistent challenge of declining engagement in broad audience targetingThanks to the sponsors of this week’s episode of the Mobile Dev Memo podcast:⁠⁠⁠⁠INCRMNTAL⁠⁠⁠. True attribution measures incrementality, always on.Xsolla⁠. With the Xsolla Web Shop, you can create a direct storefront, cut fees down to as low as 5%, and keep players engaged with bundles, rewards, and analytics.⁠Branch⁠. Branch is an AI-powered MMP, connecting every paid, owned, and organic touchpoint so growth teams can see exactly where to put their dollars to bring users in the door and keep them coming backVoyantis. Voyantis uses predictive AI to transform customer value into high-impact signals that boost ROAS across Google, Meta, and more.Interested in sponsoring the Mobile Dev Memo podcast? Contact Mobile Dev Memo advertising.

On this week's episode of the podcast, I am joined by Christina Augustine, the COO of Bloomreach, to discuss the rapidly evolving landscape of AI-enabled personalization in digital marketing and e-commerce. We explore how the shift from predictive models to generative agents is fundamentally changing how brands interact with consumers across multiple touchpoints. Among other things, we discuss:How agentic commerce tools will redefine the traditional customer journey beyond simple search and browse functionsWhether real-time behavioral signals can replace static cohort-based segmentation for truly individualized marketingWhat role Answer Engine Optimization will play in the future of organic discovery as search habits shiftWhy data quality remains the primary bottleneck for brands attempting to deploy sophisticated AI personalization at scaleIf conversational shopping interfaces can significantly reduce product return rates by improving consumer purchase confidenceHow marketers should balance the high cost of personalized SMS with the broader reach of email campaignsWhen the industry will transition from defensive data siloing to a more integrated cross-channel signal environmentThanks to the sponsors of this week’s episode of the Mobile Dev Memo podcast:⁠⁠INCRMNTAL⁠⁠⁠. True attribution measures incrementality, always on.Xsolla⁠. With the Xsolla Web Shop, you can create a direct storefront, cut fees down to as low as 5%, and keep players engaged with bundles, rewards, and analytics.⁠Branch⁠. Branch is an AI-powered MMP, connecting every paid, owned, and organic touchpoint so growth teams can see exactly where to put their dollars to bring users in the door and keep them coming backInterested in sponsoring the Mobile Dev Memo podcast? Contact Mobile Dev Memo advertising.The Mobile Dev Memo podcast is available on:YouTubeApple PodcastsSpotify

On this week's episode of the podcast, I am joined by Michael Komasinski, the CEO of Criteo, to explore the rapidly evolving landscape of agentic commerce and the critical role of recommendation systems in the AI era. We delve into how Criteo is positioning itself as a commerce intelligence layer for AI assistants and the technical distinctions between large language models and purpose-built recommendation engines. Among other things, we discuss:Criteo's recently announced advertising partnership with OpenAIWhether agentic commerce will transition from assisted shopping to fully autonomous purchase decisions without human oversightHow recommendation systems based on purchase data outperform large language models in providing accurate product discoveryIf retailers will eventually trust AI agents to manage complex fulfillment and brand trust in conversational environmentsWhy the integration of semantic language models and high-volume reward algorithms defines the future of digital commerceCriteo GO, Criteo's automated advertising platformHow the partnership between specialized advertising technology and generative AI platforms will reshape the global discovery layerThanks to the sponsors of this week’s episode of the Mobile Dev Memo podcast:⁠⁠INCRMNTAL⁠⁠⁠. True attribution measures incrementality, always on.Xsolla⁠. With the Xsolla Web Shop, you can create a direct storefront, cut fees down to as low as 5%, and keep players engaged with bundles, rewards, and analytics.⁠Branch⁠. Branch is an AI-powered MMP, connecting every paid, owned, and organic touchpoint so growth teams can see exactly where to put their dollars to bring users in the door and keep them coming backInterested in sponsoring the Mobile Dev Memo podcast? Contact Mobile Dev Memo advertising.