Facebook ads targeting in 2026, the AI-runs-ads question, Meta layoffs and YouTube's AI remix tool

If you run ads on Facebook and Instagram - or have someone run them for you - a well-known social media management platform has published a complete 2026 guide to Facebook ads targeting that is worth a skim to see what applies to your business.

The bigger question hanging over the industry: a year ago, Meta's CEO declared that ads will soon be handled entirely by AI, prompting headlines like "The Death of the Ad Agency" and "Meta's CEO Declares War On The Advertising Industry." That day is coming, perhaps sooner than expected. At a recent major social media marketing conference, one veteran Facebook ads specialist said they expect all ads to be run by AI within a year or so - and is already adjusting their business model significantly as a result. Whether advertisers are truly ready for that shift is an open question.

In other news, Meta is cutting 8,000 roles. Staff were told the layoffs were needed to "offset" the company's massive AI spending; some employees reportedly lost system access instantly and were told to collect their belongings and leave. Whatever people think of the company, thousands of real livelihoods just got a shock.

For your toolbox: a popular social media tool company has published its list of the 21 best social media marketing tools to try in 2026. No need to adopt them all - a quick skim may surface one or two worth a test run.

And from Google I/O: the biggest announcements were the video-centric Gemini Omni updates. In YouTube Shorts, a new "Remix" option will let users write a prompt to remix a creator's video - changing its style or even inserting themselves into it - without altering the video's basic context. A small comfort, perhaps, but creators' control over their own footage keeps thinning.

The strategic thread through all of this: when anyone can crank out any type of content with AI, cutting through the noise requires leaning harder into real human connection - genuine relationships and meaningful communities, online and offline. The analog revival, from offline gathering clubs to the booming experience economy, keeps proving the point: people want to feel something again, together.