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Sweet FlowMotion: Storyblok Transforms Content Updates into Automated Workflows

matt-garrepy

What’s under the ‘FIG’ leaf? The naked truth about the Figma IPO and the market's appetite for tech

<hr /> When I first learned about the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/mach-alliance-launches-new-mach-ai-exchange-to-help-enterprises-streamline-ai-adoption">MACH Alliance’s </a>plan to host a “pitch day,” I thought it would be a fantastic way to expand its mission and grow MACH adoption downstream for startups and scale-ups. And why not? Like hackathons and incubator bakeoffs, this could be a great pipeline for learning, exploring, and challenging the ecosystem while supporting the growth of early-stage companies with real products – and real ambition.I also thought it sounded fun. Kinda like <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shark_Tank">Shark Tank</a> for the modern tech stack. Can Mr. Wonderful roll with composable?OK, OK. So I have it on good authority that Mark Cuban wasn't a judge for this shindig. But the inaugural North American <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://machalliance.org/insights-hub/winner-of-inaugural-futuremach-pitch-day-event">FutureMACH Pitch Day Event</a> had some heavy hitters reviewing the entries – and that alone gave this new experience some decent buzz. This new contest is the latest community program offered by the MACH Alliance, the not-for-profit industry body committed to advancing composable enterprise architecture. And in this first battle royale betwixt up-and-coming technologies embracing the composable path, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.bildit.co/">BILDIT CMS</a> took home the crown.BILDIT, a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/what-is-a-content-management-system-cms">content management system</a> with a penchant for personalization and a keen focus on e-commerce and retail, brought some spicy innovation to the competition. According to the Alliance's press release, BILDIT took home the crown thanks to its novel use of AI, MACH technology, and external data sources that can deeply personalize shopper experiences. From an analyst's point of view, BILDIT is doing some interesting things. If you decide to keep reading, I'll key in on a few of its differentiated attributes, minus the Shark Tank references.As the winner of the pitch contest, BILDIT will receive some cool prizes, starting with mentorship. This includes access to top-notch brand development resources and even introductions to potential investors, fostering its growth and innovation within the MACH ecosystem.Full transparency: I’ve served on the MACH Alliance Executive Advisory Board for several years as an objective industry watcher, and I align with the universal architectural trend towards composability. Education has long been a central tenet of the organization, and FutureMACH's pitch day is another example of how the Alliance is committing its knowledge and resources to elevating the ecosystem.You can <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/the-composable-conference-2025-takes-shape-as-mach-alliance-announces-speakers-and-new-events">read my coverage</a> of “The Composable Conference” live event from 2025 to learn more about how the space is evolving – and how the MACH Alliance is evolving with it.<h3 id="helping-startups-drive-composable-growth">Helping startups drive composable growth</h3>As a MACH Alliance initiative, FutureMACH was designed to accelerate (you guessed it) the future of MACH. That translates into support for innovative, MACH-aligned startup companies targeting their next phase of growth. This recent competition was open to North American pre-seed, seed, or Series-A startup technology companies with less than $2 million in annual recurring revenue.The jury panel comprised leaders and luminaries from top global VC firms, providing an elite class of industry knowledge and wisdom. Participants were evaluated based on specific criteria spanning their market opportunity and vision, product differentiation, applications of AI and automation, and alignment with MACH’s innovation principles. The jury panel included:<ul><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-benerofe/">Gary Benerofe</a> – General partner, Mu Ventures</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/marachaben/">Mara Chaben</a> – Principal, Hawke Ventures</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurakchau/">Laura Chau</a> – General partner, Canaan Partners</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/christina-fa-b567304a/">Christina Fa</a> – Principal, NewView Capital</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/svthompson/">Sam Thompson</a> – Founding partner, Progress Ventures</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/thescotwingo/">Scot Wingo</a> – Co-founder &amp; CEO, ReFiBuy.ai</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/benwinn/">Ben Winn</a> – VP content &amp; communities, FirstMark</li></ul>With deep expertise in emerging tech and market disruption, these judges will provide the cohort of entrants with market-tested guidance, strategic insights, and potential access to influential investment networks.As the winner, BILDIT will also receive a brand and storytelling workshop provided by <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.thebaascompany.com/">The BaaS Company</a>, a long-time resource within the MACH Alliance community. Led by <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonijanssen/">Leoni Janssen</a>, “the pragmatic strategist” who serves on the Alliance’s advisory board, The BaaS Company applies its unique “Branding as a Service” methodology to help elevate brands with tech enablement and an AI focus.BILDIT will reap the strategic benefits of The BaaS Company’s expertise in branding and corporate communications, helping them automate processes and prepare for greater scale. Additionally, they'll receive a spotlight feature in a MACH Alliance webinar or insights piece, a facilitated introduction to five MACH Alliance member companies of its choosing, and discounted membership into the MACH Alliance Startup ISV category, which is contingent upon qualification. <h3 id="building-a-new-vision-for-cms">Building a new vision for CMS</h3>In my recent conversation with MACH Alliance veteran <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellygoetsch/">Kelly Goetsch</a> (who will appear on the next episode of our podcast), we discussed the AI-induced challenges that exist for SaaS companies – and whether the market actually needs another CMS. Let’s face it: there are hundreds of solutions out there, from pure headless to DXP component solutions. Is the category sufficiently saturated? Are we all chasing the same 80 percent of commoditized features? How are buyers navigating the confusion?The real crux of his observation isn’t whether we need another CMS. It’s the reality that we’re swimming in a sea of sameness. As he noted during my interview, it’s not enough to be different – you need to be unique.This is where a platform like BILDIT is showing real promise. First, it’s bucking the trend by laser-focusing on its niche: e-commerce marketing teams struggling to deliver personalized, targeted campaigns across every channel. This is where a composable posture provides the right foundation for extensibility and multi-modality within BILDIT’s CMS product set. <figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zxp1IvBBpog&amp;t=1s"><div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:100%;height:0;padding-bottom:56.2493%"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Zxp1IvBBpog?start=1" style="position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;top:0;left:0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div></figure> As one of its founders attested, BILDIT was born out of a deepening frustration with creating targeted, engaging campaigns in a multichannel world. Consumers need seamless solutions, and brands need less code-related friction to deliver them. According to BILDIT’s site, the measure for success is elementary, funny, and exceedingly spot on: If customers can't check out while holding a baby, the checkout isn’t good enough.Part of BILDIT’s value angle is its easy cross-channel content management, underscored by a dynamic product UX. Users can manage content for both web and mobile in a single e-commerce-oriented CMS, with support for email and push notifications. Like you would expect, you can create, edit, schedule, and publish with real-time previewing and shareable links – not just for sites but for mobile apps as well.  <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:97.55%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/07/image-1753743388012.png" alt="A screenshot of a website

AI-generated content may be incorrect." /></figure>Source: BILDIT website Like its peers, BILDIT also provides the permissions and governance you would expect from a performant CMS, allowing you to manage multi-user access and modular editing with streamlined approval and deployment inside the CMS. It also sports some tricked-out marketing capabilities, letting you create images, banners, recommendations, animations, and customized display configurations. This gives it even more content marketing power than the average CMS tool.From a composable perspective, BILDIT gives you discrete control over your mobile app or <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/nextjs">Next.js</a> site, allowing you to build out advanced content types to surface the right content to the right users at the right time with personalization and advanced targeting. When it comes to infusing your stack with more power, BILDIT also integrates with some of the top e-commerce platforms, from <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/shopify">Shopify</a> to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/commercetools">commercetools</a>. This allows brands to expand functionality with best-of-breed products at their disposal. BILDIT is also helping to accelerate delivery. Having to wait weeks to launch on mobile or settle for out-of-the-box, generic solutions can translate into lost revenue opportunities. To combat this, BILDIT’s templating solution empowers marketing teams to execute with less complexity. Meanwhile, IT can focus on more advanced customizations within the CMS, allowing marketing teams to quickly deliver – without a deployment.Another cool thing: BILDIT provides both native mobile app and web storefront features to provide greater speed and simplicity, all geared towards improving conversions. They even have a reference app to provide a workable snapshot of how your finished app will unfold. All in all, they're endeavoring to make the journey easier for customers by enhancing their e-commerce and retail performance with greater control and simplicity.<h3 id="pricing">Pricing</h3>No big shocker, but price is becoming an even bigger factor within composable stacks as uncertainty continues to drag on the market. Both brands and agency partners are looking for smarter ways to reduce cost and complexity with high-performance stacks that deliver optimal results over the long haul. I like the general transparency that BILDIT provides with its pricing. It offers a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.bildit.co/pricing">range of packages</a>, from its ground-floor Launch Plan at $500/month, all the way up to a Pro Plan that clocks in at $11,000/month. The latter might seem hefty, but give it a good comparison to the TCO with other solutions, and it feels less intimidating. Cost is based on site visits, and each option sweetens the pot with additional features. There’s also an enterprise Scale Plan with custom options; that one requires a phone call. You can also get a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.bildit.co/app-and-web-cms">quick snapshot</a> of how BILDIT stacks up feature-wise to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/sanity-says-cmses-are-broken-is-its-content-operating-system-the-next-evolutionary-step">Sanity</a>, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/adapt-thrive-contentstacks-contentcon25-energizes-attendees-with-an-ai-powered-vision">Contentstack</a>, and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/can-content-management-be-joyful-again-storyblok-labs-promises-fun-and-possibility-in-its-innovation-playground">Storyblok</a>. I highly recommend doing your homework on the specific details during your evaluation, particularly around your requirements. <h3 id="why-it-matters">Why it matters</h3>“BILDIT represents the new wave of MACH-native innovators,” said Kelly Goetsch. “They’ve solved the decades-old personalization problem in e-commerce.”Knowing just how elusive personalization has been, that seems like a big claim. But Kelly would know. Working on the front lines at commercetools, he’s amassed deep insight into the challenges brands face. His observation might be one of the key points of validation in BILDIT’s favor. That said, BILDIT has already established success with notable brands. For example, retail giant Belks saw a significant CVR and AOV lift by moving to BILDIT’s mobile app management platform. As for the FutureMACH Pitch Day competition, I think it’s a win. Making space to include new and early-stage ISVs should be a keystone tenet of the MACH community. This is not just an ecosystem for enterprise vendors. By providing critical resources from experienced partners like The BaaS Company – and even access to potential funding – the Alliance is giving these disruptors a vital boost to the next level. It's also a win-win-win all around. Participating startups gain vital visibility, even if they don't take home the top prize. VCs and investors get access to potentially disruptive technologies and co-investment plays, giving them a strategic edge. And MACH Alliance members also reap the benefits of expanding their networks, growing partnerships, and expanding their category leadership. If you missed out on the North American FutureMACH contest, there's an upcoming UK/Europe competition in Q4 of this year. You can get more details at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.machalliance.org/futuremach">www.machalliance.org/futuremach</a>.Get your pitching skills ready. I'll let Mr. Wonderful take it from here.  <hr /><h4 style="text-align:center" id="looking-for-guidance-on-bildit?-talk-to-an-expert.">Looking for guidance on BILDIT? <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/contact">Talk to an expert.</a></h4><hr /> <h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:31.83%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/01/cms-connect-2025-logo.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-connect-25"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect25">CMS Connect 25</a></h4>August 5-6, 2025 – Montreal, CanadaSee Agility CMS at the second annual summer edition of our signature global conference dedicated to the content management community! CMS Connect will be held again in beautiful Montreal, Canada, and feature a unique blend of masterclasses, insightful talks, interactive discussions, impactful learning sessions, and authentic networking opportunities. Join vendors, agencies, and customers from across our industry as we engage and collaborate around the future of content management – and hear from the top thought leaders at the only vendor-neutral, in-person conference exclusively focused on CMS. Space is limited for this event, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect25">so book your seats today.</a>

BILDIT CMS Wins Inaugural MACH Alliance FutureMACH Pitch Day

<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/critics/jurgita-lap">Jurgita Lapienytė</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/critics/dan-drapeau"> </a>is Editor-in-Chief at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cybernews.com/">Cybernews</a> and a CMS Critic contributor. <hr /> The <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cybernews.com/news/grok-posts-praise-hitler/">latest Grok debacle</a> reads like a case study in how not to launch an AI chatbot. Elon Musk’s xAI, fresh off the hype cycle for Grok 4.0, found itself in damage-control mode after the bot spewed antisemitic tropes, praised Hitler, and doubled down with the kind of “truth-seeking” rhetoric that’s become a dog whistle for “anything goes.” The company’s response was to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jul/09/grok-ai-praised-hitler-antisemitism-x-ntwnfb">delete</a> the posts, apologize, and promise that next time, the filters will work, while Musk <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/grok-elon-musks-ai-chatbot-antisemitic-comments/">blamed</a> manipulative prompt injections by users.<h3 id="grok’s-security-failures-–-not-so-uncommon-">Grok’s Security Failures – Not So Uncommon </h3>First, the core vulnerability here is Grok’s very design. Marketed as a “truth-seeking” alternative to more tightly controlled chatbots, Grok was engineered with fewer guardrails and a willingness to echo the rawest edges of online discourse. It seems to function very much like X after Musk’s takeover of the company.That design philosophy, paired with the model’s notorious “compliance” to user prompts, created a perfect storm for prompt injection attacks. Prompt injection is an extremely dangerous attack vector, as threat actors, if asking the right questions, can <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cybernews.com/security/universal-ai-jailbreak-discovered/">trick chatbots</a> into giving instructions on how to enrich uranium or make methamphetamine at home.When the training data is laced with extremist rhetoric, and the guardrails are weak or hastily implemented, it’s only a matter of time before the worst of humanity bubbles up through the code. This isn’t unique to Grok as TikTok, X, Instagram, and YouTube also have been infested with racist content, often slipping past moderators who are overwhelmed, under-resourced, or simply indifferent.A few months back, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cybernews.com/tech/hitler-glorifying-surges-on-tiktok-x/">we called out</a> AI platforms for translating Hitler’s speeches and giving them new digital life. The backlash was immediate: accusations of censorship, attacks on free speech, and the usual internet pile-on. The Grok case shows how chatbots could be weaponized to amplify hate speech, spread conspiracy theories, and even praise genocidal figures, all under the banner of “free expression.”<h3 id="xai’s-response-could-have-been-better">xAI’s Response Could Have Been Better</h3>What’s most worrying from a cybersecurity perspective is the lack of proactive defense. xAI’s action was a textbook incident response (not that it ever works well for the culprits): scrub the posts, patch the prompts, abruptly apologize, and hope for the best. But in the world of modern infosec, that’s not enough. Proper security requires adversarial red-teaming before launch, not after the damage is done. It demands layered controls – robust input validation, output monitoring, anomaly detection, and the ability to quarantine or roll back models when they go off the rails. Grok’s rollout, timed with the launch of version 4.0, suggests that the model was pushed live without sufficient penetration testing or ethical red-teaming, exposing millions to risk in real time.<h3 id="guidance-for-web-and-digital-experience-builders">Guidance for Web and Digital Experience Builders</h3>The Grok 4.0 chatbot controversy is a front-row lesson for anyone shaping modern digital experiences. When AI-powered chatbots go off script – spitting out offensive, dangerous, or extremist content – the fallout can hit hard and fast: legal headaches, brand damage, user backlash, and regulatory scrutiny. For web and digital experience builders, the new norm is recognizing that generative AI is an unpredictable extension of your content platform. The right lessons, drawn now, can mean the difference between successful innovation and the next tech lesson.To prevent failures, make sure to take at least these essential steps: <ol><li>Treat AI chatbots like core content: Run every AI or chatbot-generated output through editorial moderation, just as you would user-generated content. Also, use your CMS workflows to enforce pre-publication reviews for sensitive or high-risk content segments.</li><li>Demand transparency from vendors: You should insist on clear documentation from AI vendors. How is training data sourced? How quickly are filters updated? What triggers moderation? And definitely avoid integrations where the provider gives vague or buzzword-heavy answers.</li><li>Monitor for red flags in real time: Set up dashboards and alerts for spikes in controversial or sensitive queries. Make sure to flag sudden shifts in chatbot tone or recurring attempts to bypass guardrails. Audit bot sessions for toxic or extremist phrases, and require review for flagged cases.</li><li>Build in robust safeguards: Don’t rely solely on post-incident apologies or deletions. </li><li>Assign ownership and enable fast escalation: Designate a point person or team for bot oversight, empowered with a “kill switch” to disable misbehaving chatbots immediately.</li><li>Understand the regulatory landscape: Track where your digital experiences intersect with regions governed by strict AI or content laws (e.g., EU’s Digital Services Act). Ensure you have compliance evidence for content moderation, output logging, and quick takedown response.</li><li>Reinforce your AI guardrails: Treat AI guardrails as a living part of your digital stack, not a one-time fix. Iterate and improve with each update, launch, or training data change.</li></ol>The truth is, every new chatbot or AI feature is a potential attack surface that demands active, informed governance. For digital architects, these steps are the new non-negotiables.<h3 id="regulators-aren’t-impressed">Regulators Aren’t Impressed</h3>The regulatory consequences of irresponsible chatbot development are already unfolding. Turkey has <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.politico.eu/article/turkey-ban-elon-musk-grok-recep-tayyip-erdogan-insult/">banned</a> Grok over Erdoğan insults, and Poland intends to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/poland-report-musks-chatbot-grok-eu-offensive-comments-2025-07-09/">report</a> the chatbot to the EU for offending Polish politicians. These are signals that the era of “move fast and break things” might be over for AI. Under the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024/europe-fit-digital-age/digital-services-act_en">EU’s Digital Services Act</a> and similar laws, platforms are now on the hook for algorithmic harms, with the threat of massive fines and operational restrictions. The cost of insecure AI is measured in court orders, compliance audits, and the erosion of public trust.Perhaps the most insidious risk is how generative AI like Grok can supercharge existing threats and amplify biases. In the wrong hands, a chatbot is a megaphone. Coordinated adversaries could use such systems for influence operations, harassment campaigns, or even sophisticated phishing and social engineering attacks, all at unprecedented scale and speed. Every flaw, every missed filter, becomes instantly weaponizable.To protect our societies, we have to realize that generative AI is a living, evolving attack surface that demands new strategies, new transparency, and relentless vigilance. If companies keep treating these failures as isolated glitches, they’ll find themselves not just outpaced by attackers, but outflanked by regulators and abandoned by users.  <hr /><h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:31.83%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/01/cms-connect-2025-logo.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-connect-25"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect25">CMS Connect 25</a></h4>August 5-6, 2025 – Montreal, CanadaWe are delighted to present the second annual summer edition of our signature global conference dedicated to the content management community! CMS Connect will be held again in beautiful Montreal, Canada, and feature a unique blend of masterclasses, insightful talks, interactive discussions, impactful learning sessions, and authentic networking opportunities. Join vendors, agencies, and customers from across our industry as we engage and collaborate around the future of content management – and hear from the top thought leaders at the only vendor-neutral, in-person conference exclusively focused on CMS. Space is limited for this event, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect25">so book your seats today.</a>

Grok's Meltdown: What Web and Digital Experience Builders Must Learn

jurgita-lap

<hr /> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://agilitycms.com/">Agility CMS</a> Chief Technical Officer <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelvarty/">Joel Varty</a> is back again with another YouTube video series. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEI81bLU4t-sv8RtZZjsqFg28owfEigWK">Composable Architecture 101</a> is a five-part series that looks at the core elements of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://agilitycms.com/product/composable-content-management">composable content</a> creation.Composable has always been a critical tool and capability. But the true power and benefit of composable is now being realized, fully and completely. Some <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/the-deep-dish-on-composable-6-tasty-takeaways-from-the-mach-alliances-2025-conference">key takeaways from “The Composable Conference” in April</a> confirm this, especially the observation that composable continues to deliver even as user preferences change.Joel’s video series is the perfect starting point for novices new to the world of composable to veterans looking to strengthen their composable knowledge. <h3 id="video-1:-what-is-composable-architecture?">Video 1: What is Composable Architecture?</h3>Joel kicks things off by introducing the basics of composable with his trademark friendly, engaging, and easy-to-understand manner. Not only does he cover the what of composable, but also the why. He also breaks down:<ul><li>His criteria for true composability</li><li>How composable is the best fit for your particular use case</li><li>How composable helps with today’s and tomorrow’s technology needs</li></ul>Interesting Thing Joel Says to Watch Out For: “I like to think of it as a piece of pie.”<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r80uhCCALY4&amp;list=PLEI81bLU4t-sv8RtZZjsqFg28owfEigWK&amp;index=6">Watch: What is Composable Architecture?</a><figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:80.07%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/07/image-1752860523411.png" /></figure> <h3 id="video-2:-how-does-a-composable-architecture-save-you-money?">Video 2: How Does a Composable Architecture Save You Money?</h3>The second video looks at the question everyone asks about everything: how does this save me money? When it comes to composable, Joel returns to his pie analogy and compares composable to traditional DXP and tells you:<ul><li>The hidden, oft-forgotten costs of a traditional DXP</li><li>Why time-to-market is just as important as dollars spent</li><li>What to look out for to lower the cost of composable</li></ul>Interesting Thing Joel Says to Watch Out For: “In all my experience, I have never seen a traditional DXP where the way that they do CMS is the absolute best way.”<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XGBms1hdsI&amp;list=PLEI81bLU4t-sv8RtZZjsqFg28owfEigWK&amp;index=4">Watch: How Does a Composable Architecture Save You Money?</a><h3 id="video-3:-how-to-kickstart-your-composable-architecture">Video 3: How to Kickstart Your Composable Architecture</h3>The third video looks at what element pretty much every composable stack will need: a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://agilitycms.com/product/headless-cms">headless CMS</a>. From there, he continues his traditional DXP vs. composable comparison. He also provides his kickstart recommendations, and yes, the pie is back. You’ll also learn:<ul><li>Why <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://agilitycms.com/starters">framework</a> flexibility matters</li><li>The concept of “building outwards”</li><li>What costs a lot, takes forever, and how to avoid it</li></ul>Interesting Thing Joel Says to Watch Out For: “I’m from Agility, so I’d love for you to use Agility CMS.”<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E80x-YHp9FE&amp;list=PLEI81bLU4t-sv8RtZZjsqFg28owfEigWK&amp;index=4">Watch: How to Kickstart Your Composable Architecture</a><figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:79.8%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/07/image-1752860555725.png" /></figure><h3 id="video-4:-how-to-switch-your-website-to-composable-the-easy-way!">Video 4: How to Switch Your Website to Composable the Easy Way!</h3>The fourth of five looks at how an <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://agilitycms.com/blog/recapping-the-incremental-approach-a-story-about-urgency-agility-and-a-canadian-rock-classic">incremental approach</a>, starting with the website, is the way to go when transitioning from a traditional DXP to a modern composable architecture. Joel also explains why headless CMS is the foundation of it all. Joel also talks about:<ul><li>Using modern routing via <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://agilitycms.com/blog/website-behind-a-cdn">CDN</a> to bridge old and new systems</li><li>The three benefits of partnering with composable vendors</li><li>Additional composable components to utilize and when</li></ul>Interesting Thing Joel Says to Watch Out For: “Whatever your motives are, there’s a way to work around that using an incremental way.”<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3rXSSXPXHI&amp;list=PLEI81bLU4t-sv8RtZZjsqFg28owfEigWK&amp;index=2">Watch: How to Switch Your Website to Composable the Easy Way!</a><h3 id="video-5:-are-you-making-these-composable-mistakes?">Video 5: Are You Making These Composable Mistakes?</h3>The pie is back. In the final video of the series, Joel identifies the biggest pitfalls associated with a composable strategy. This video is all about setting yourself up for sustained success, especially as things like growing technical complexity come into play. You’ll also learn:<ul><li>Why there’s more to the term “future-proof” than meets the eye</li><li>How to identify and prevent vendor cost sprawl</li><li>Best practices to always keep in mind</li></ul>Interesting Thing Joel Says to Watch Out For: “It can hit you all at once if you try to do too much all at once.”<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcn_g0oCo-Y&amp;list=PLEI81bLU4t-sv8RtZZjsqFg28owfEigWK&amp;index=1">Watch: Are You Making These Composable Mistakes?</a><figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:80.86%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/07/image-1752860585776.png" /></figure><h3 id="other-composable-resources">Other Composable Resources</h3>Check out these additional composable resources from CMS Critic and Agility CMS:<h4 id="from-cms-critic">From CMS Critic</h4><ul><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/machtales-voices-from-the-composable-conference-with-jina-zohori-of-agility-cms">MACHtales: Voices from “The Composable Conference” with Jina Zohori of Agility CMS</a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/hungry-for-composable-new-research-shows-a-growing-appetite-for-mach-technologies">Hungry for Composable? New Research Shows a Growing Appetite for MACH Technologies</a></li></ul><h4 id="from-agility-cms">From Agility CMS</h4><ul><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://agilitycms.com/blog/what-is-composable-architecture">What is Composable Architecture?</a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://agilitycms.com/product/composable-content-management">Composable Content Management with Agility CMS</a></li></ul><h3 id="composable-goes-from-“uh,-what-does-that-mean?”-to-“oh!-now-i-get-it!”">Composable Goes from “Uh, What Does That Mean?” to “Oh! Now I Get It!”</h3>The concept of composable could be daunting. But Joel’s <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEI81bLU4t-sv8RtZZjsqFg28owfEigWK">Composable Architecture 101</a> series starts with the basics and gradually works its way up. The content may grow in complexity, but Joel’s grounded delivery makes it easy for anyone to follow along. Brew a nice cup of coffee or tea. Grab a bagel or a donut. Or a slice of pie. And discover why composable is so critical in <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEI81bLU4t-sv8RtZZjsqFg28owfEigWK">Composable Architecture 101</a>. <hr /><h4 style="text-align:center" id="looking-for-guidance-on-agility?-talk-to-an-expert.">Looking for guidance on Agility? <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/contact">Talk to an expert.</a></h4><hr /> <h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:31.83%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/01/cms-connect-2025-logo.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-connect-25"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect25">CMS Connect 25</a></h4>August 5-6, 2025 – Montreal, CanadaSee Agility CMS at the second annual summer edition of our signature global conference dedicated to the content management community! CMS Connect will be held again in beautiful Montreal, Canada, and feature a unique blend of masterclasses, insightful talks, interactive discussions, impactful learning sessions, and authentic networking opportunities. Join vendors, agencies, and customers from across our industry as we engage and collaborate around the future of content management – and hear from the top thought leaders at the only vendor-neutral, in-person conference exclusively focused on CMS. Space is limited for this event, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect25">so book your seats today.</a>

Varty’s Videos: All About Composable

cms-critic-staff

Bridging Content and Data: A Contentstack Conversation with Bill Mitchell of MongoDB

Adapt + Thrive: Contentstack’s ContentCon25 Energizes Attendees with an AI-Powered Vision

CMS Summit 26

Find out at CMS Summit 26, May 12 - 13 in Frankfurt, Germany

What's ahead for CMS in the agentic era?

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<hr /> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/sitecore">Sitecore’s</a> annual SKO landed squarely in the summer heat of Orlando, Florida, this week – a fitting backdrop for a tempest of hot announcements. Under the hypnotic sway of palm trees and the predictable torrid of July showers, the digital experience leader continues to turn up the heat on AI innovation.To that end, the company just announced a strategic partnership with <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.gradial.com/">Gradial</a>, an AI agent platform designed to accelerate the content supply chain for enterprises. The collaboration aims to speed up and simplify how marketers deliver personalized campaigns at scale while monetizing engagement – all at a fraction of the current cost. Armed with Gradial’s capabilities, Sitecore aims to evolve agents beyond baseline recommendations and suggestions, enabling them to act autonomously on the marketer’s behalf to achieve new levels of productivity. According to Sitecore, the Gradial partnership is another milestone in its innovation horizon for agentic AI, which is explored in detail at the new <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.sitecore.ai/">Sitecore.ai</a> (we <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/accelerating-the-agentic-future-sitecoreai-gives-marketers-an-inspiring-roadmap-for-their-ai-journey">covered the launch</a> at the end of June). More than a website, this center of excellence illustrates how content, data, and intelligence can be synthesized to power the next era of digital engagement, and agentic AI is at the center of it.“Gradial brings a unique blend of engineering precision and marketing empathy,” said <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/sitecore-taps-veteran-eric-stine-as-ceo-to-lead-next-phase-of-growth-and-innovation">Eric Stine,</a> CEO of Sitecore. “Their AI-powered orchestration capabilities enhance Sitecore’s composable digital experience platform by automating the execution layer marketers need most to deliver the kinds of personal, predictive experiences that drive leads and revenue growth, but which historically have been costly and laborious. Together, we’re helping marketers move faster and smarter, using AI to transform delivery and stay anchored in creativity and brand purpose.”<h3 id="empowering-marketers-with-ai">Empowering marketers with AI</h3>It goes without saying that today’s marketing teams are overwhelmed. Data is fragmented and siloed, and tools are often disconnected – making the rigors of campaign management difficult under the best of circumstances. To cope with these challenges, marketers resort to extraneous apps and complicated workflows to help design, launch, deliver, and optimize campaigns. The whole rigmarole slows everything down and diverts attention from strategic initiatives and compromises time to market.According to Sitecore, the partnership with Gradial is effectively “reinventing” marketing operations. Gradial’s AI-powered orchestration platform integrates with Sitecore’s DXP to automate the execution layer, turning marketing briefs into live campaigns without the handoffs, tickets, or delays.“At Gradial, we see content operations as a systems challenge – complex, dynamic, and in need of intelligent automation,” said <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/doug-tallmadge-14166075/">Doug Tallmadge,</a> CEO of Gradial. “Sitecore’s vision for agentic AI aligns perfectly with our mission: to build adaptive systems that do the heavy lifting, so marketers can lead with insight, not infrastructure. Together, we’re enabling a new era of marketing execution that is precise, scalable, and deeply human.”Gradial has already achieved a strong reputation as an agentic platform for the enterprise. As marketing teams struggle to deliver on-point omnichannel experiences, Gradial’s unique model automates content operations, from authoring to production – enabling organizations to leverage agents to govern site health, brand compliance, and even QA and accessibility concerns. Gradial’s agents are also being positioned as activators for enabling CX optimization and automating a host of functions that have traditionally created friction within content operations. <h3 id="new-chapter,-new-leadership">New chapter, new leadership</h3>Since assuming command in May, I’ve spoken with Sitecore CEO Eric Stine a few times. In our calls, he’s been exceedingly clear about the company’s focus on AI, and much of that vision has been crystallized in the new Sitecore.ai website.  To match the pace of change in an AI marketplace, Stine is tapping a newly appointed executive team with deep expertise in AI, cloud, and CX – all with the goal of empowering marketers to deliver the future of digital experiences. <img style="width:26.96%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/07/image-1752583805404.png" /><h4 id="michael-bannon-–-president-and-chief-administrative-officer"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-bannon-077a296/">Michael Bannon – President and Chief Administrative Officer</a></h4>Bannon has been with Sitecore for less than a year, moving swiftly from CFO to the President’s chair to lead strategy, people, finance, legal, and enterprise technology. Bannon’s career spans high-growth technology companies, private equity, and investment banking with firms like Accel Starter. Previously, Bannon ran Typeform as President and CFO. With his leadership experience within high-growth environments and innovation-led organizations, he will support Sitecore’s next phase of growth. <img style="width:28.86%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/07/image-1752583843497.png" /><h4 id="michelle-boockoff-bajdek-–-chief-marketing-officer"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellebb/">Michelle Boockoff-Bajdek – Chief Marketing Officer</a></h4>Boockoff-Bajdek is a transformational CMO, digital storyteller, and undisputed trailblazer in AI-powered marketing. As CMO of IBM Watson, she oversaw the Watson brand, helping to translate the value of AI. As CMO at IDC, she reimagined marketing as a “strategic growth engine,” launching a new brand identity, leading the firm’s first GenAI initiatives, and aligning brand, demand, and strategy to drive global impact. A frequent speaker on marketing leadership and purpose-led growth, Michelle will advance how Sitecore communicates the transformative power of AI in marketing. <img style="width:30.04%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/07/image-1752583889763.png" /><h4 id="dave-tilbury-–-chief-operating-officer"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/davetilbury/">Dave Tilbury – Chief Operating Officer</a></h4>Tilbury brings more than 20 years of global business experience and a proven track record of driving growth, transforming commercial outcomes, and elevating customer impact. Most recently, as EVP and Chief Sales Officer at Capgemini, he led the sales, marketing, and product teams. At Sitecore, he will oversee all customer-facing functions, including sales, pre-sales, revenue operations, unified customer support, and customer value realization.<h3 id="why-it-matters">Why it matters</h3>The Gradial partnership will undoubtedly provide a more robust content marketing experience for Sitecore’s customers, giving teams more power and automation to execute campaigns faster and with more precision and insight. It’s a clear win – and a force multiplier that will enable Sitecore to compete more effectively with similar offerings. Seeing how users engage with the features will be telling, but it’s a step in the right direction.The new leadership team is a cabal of heavy hitters, each bringing a solid background of experience and forward-thinking potential. We always anticipate change when new leadership enters the top of the C-Suite, but it’s clear that Stine has been thoughtful in his selections – particularly with AI talent that will help shape the next steps in the agentic race. More will likely be revealed at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://symposium.sitecore.com/">Sitecore Symposium</a> – the company’s showcase of innovation and insight – taking place this November in Orlando. Stay tuned. <hr /><h4 style="text-align:center" id="looking-for-guidance-on-sitecore?-talk-to-an-expert.">Looking for guidance on Sitecore? <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/contact">Talk to an expert.</a></h4><hr /> <h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:31.83%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/01/cms-connect-2025-logo.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-connect-25"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect25">CMS Connect 25</a></h4>August 5-6, 2025 – Montreal, CanadaWe are delighted to present the second annual summer edition of our signature global conference dedicated to the content management community! CMS Connect will be held again in beautiful Montreal, Canada, and feature a unique blend of masterclasses, insightful talks, interactive discussions, impactful learning sessions, and authentic networking opportunities. Join vendors, agencies, and customers from across our industry as we engage and collaborate around the future of content management – and hear from the top thought leaders at the only vendor-neutral, in-person conference exclusively focused on CMS. Space is limited for this event, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect25">so book your seats today.</a>

Sitecore Sharpens AI Focus with Strategic Partnership and New Leadership Appointments

<hr /> Online video is exploding at an unimaginable rate. Globally, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://siteefy.com/video-marketing-statistics/">over 90% of internet users</a> watch online videos at least once a month, and more than 50% of video marketers are now using AI tools to create or edit their videos. As you might predict, this combination will translate into more videos, more viewers, and faster delivery – especially as AI continues to disrupt production capacity. With so much content being created, brands need better tools and easier ways to glean insights from their videos. This is where AI can be a transformative resource.   To that end, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://aws.amazon.com/what-is/ai-agents/">AI agents</a> are becoming commonplace in every corner of the digital stack, bringing a host of possibilities to the table. There is, of course, a lot of hype associated with generative AI features, but there are layers where the agentic promise is tangible – and the platform investment might be paying off in a big way. That’s certainly the case when it comes to scalable automation in tools that amplify the reach of human users and teams. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/wowza">Wowza</a> is the latest to join the agentic revolution. A trusted name in video streaming infrastructure for mission-critical applications, the platform provider is bringing intelligent, agent-based capabilities to the forefront with the recent acquisition of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://avaintellect.com/">AVA Intellect,</a> an AI-native startup specializing in intelligent and embedded agent technology for video platforms.I’ve been tracking Wowza for a while now (having used it extensively in customer solutions with web and CMS applications), and this acquisition aligns firmly with the company’s commitment to embed AI across the entire video lifecycle – starting with capabilities that drive immediate value for customers. According to the company’s press release, this move positions Wowza as the first established video infrastructure software company to introduce intelligent agent technology at the point of configuration and support, providing valuable innovation in a well-established market. Building on Wowza’s industry recognition as a reliable infrastructure streaming partner for mission-critical applications at scale, the acquisition of AVA also reinforces its continuous commitment to innovation. This investment will potentially be felt across its customer ecosystem – which includes broadcasters like Astral, higher ed institutions like the University of Maine, globally recognized brands like Macy's, and government agencies like NASA.  <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:33.59%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/07/image-1752534146288.png" /></figure>Krish Kumar, CEO of Wowza “AVA joins Wowza at a pivotal time as we accelerate innovation on the foundation that has made Wowza such a reliable streaming infrastructure partner for so many mission-critical applications,” said <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kumarkrish/">Krish Kumar,</a> CEO of Wowza. “We’re integrating AVA Intellect’s agent framework into our platform to deliver video insights and real-time configuration support that adapts to customer needs. It’s a practical step forward in making video delivery more intelligent and responsive."<h3 id="evolving-video-streaming-capabilities-with-agentic-ai">Evolving video streaming capabilities with Agentic AI</h3>Prior to the acquisition, AVA Intellect positioned itself as an AI platform for seamless enterprise collaboration, combining AI, voice, video, and automation. It offered what it called AI-powered “virtual teammates,” or agents designed to collaborate like real colleagues in a workspace – something we've seen take off recently in the banking and financial industries.  <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:89.52%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/07/ava-intellect.png" /></figure>AVA Intellect dashboard. Source: AVA Intellect website. With the integration of AVA Intellect, Wowza is trumpeting two major product innovations that could be game changers. First, AVA’s stream intelligence will detect key markers and pull real-time insights directly from video. This could prove decisive from a productivity standpoint, making it even easier to process and manage video content at scale. Second, AVA’s AI technology will be leveraged to unlock agent-powered experiences, enhancing every stage of the user journey and bringing more intelligence and automation to Wowza’s video infrastructure. This new agent resource is designed to help Wowza’s customers realize greater value by accelerating their work and exploring solutions more intuitively. Taken together, these resources could enhance usability, reduce friction, boost productivity, and elevate the overall streaming experience. Users can even access personalized support on demand, providing an added layer of confidence for enterprise customers. <h3 id="bringing-ai-leadership-into-the-fold--">Bringing AI leadership into the fold  </h3>As part of the acquisition, AVA’s co-founder <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeljohnvitale/">Mike Vitale</a> joins Wowza as Head of Intelligence, accelerating Wowza’s shift toward an AI-first product strategy. With over twenty years of experience that encompasses enterprise streaming, cloud-native architecture, and AI product development, Vitale brings deep domain experience and a track record of innovation at the intersection of media and machine intelligence. <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:31.83%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/07/image-1752534011953.png" /></figure>Mike Vitale, co-founder of AVA Intellect and new Head of Intelligence at Wowza “What drew me to Wowza was the chance to pair next-gen AI with a platform that already powers some of the most demanding video infrastructure in the world,” said Vitale. “We’re building on that foundation with new intelligence that’s embeddable and aligned with how developers and product teams want to work today - across industries, use cases, and environments.”<h3 id="why-it-matters">Why it matters</h3>In the niche layer of enterprise video infrastructure providers, Wowza has a lot going for it. As a streaming engine, it’s super adaptable and feature-rich. From a performance perspective, it consistently delivers high-quality live and on-demand video (VOD) experiences for a broad range of customers across industries, including media, public safety, healthcare, IoT, and more. It also powers content delivery networks (CDNs), hosting and streaming providers, ISPs, and other service providers with licensed options. In my own experiences deploying Wowza, I can tell you that it’s reliable and flexible, making it a solid choice for powering your video workloads. It also sports a bench of developer-centric tools, allowing organizations to build and scale custom video infrastructure based on their needs. This could be anything from live government agency meetings to dedicated brand-focused streaming channels. AI is transforming every tool in the digital stack, and we’ve seen a concerted effort by enterprise vendors to weave AI and agentic capabilities throughout their ecosystems. As I said, there’s been a lot of hype with generative AI features, but there are bright spots worth pursuing. That’s certainly been the case for data-focused automation in places like DAMs, CDPs, and other tools where automation and insights can really benefit from the force multiplication of AI and the promise of agent-based functions.Wowza’s acquisition of AVA is a smart move, and signals the next step in its platform evolution. By injecting AI deeper into the streaming experience, Wowza is investing in a more intelligent and responsive infrastructure that can help customers be more agile while accelerating the deliver of better video experiences – all at scale.I recommend keeping an eye on these features as they roll out.  <hr /><h4 style="text-align:center" id="looking-for-guidance-on-wowza?-talk-to-an-expert.">Looking for guidance on Wowza? <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/contact">Talk to an expert.</a></h4><hr /> <h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:31.83%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/01/cms-connect-2025-logo.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-connect-25"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect25">CMS Connect 25</a></h4>August 5-6, 2025 – Montreal, CanadaWe are delighted to present the second annual summer edition of our signature global conference dedicated to the content management community! CMS Connect will be held again in beautiful Montreal, Canada, and feature a unique blend of masterclasses, insightful talks, interactive discussions, impactful learning sessions, and authentic networking opportunities. Join vendors, agencies, and customers from across our industry as we engage and collaborate around the future of content management – and hear from the top thought leaders at the only vendor-neutral, in-person conference exclusively focused on CMS. Space is limited for this event, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect25">so book your seats today.</a>

Wowza Acquires AVA Intellect, Bringing AI and Agent-Based Automation to its Streaming Video Platform

<hr /> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Day_(1996_film)">Independence Day</a> destroyed the box office in the summer of 1996. It was a bona fide Hollywood blockbuster, ushering in a decades-long fascination with large-scale disaster and sci-fi films.I was there when it opened. I remember sitting in a chilled theater, a sticky layer of Coke-infused popcorn crunching beneath my feet, holding my breath as mile-long flying saucers cast long shadows across entire cities. What happened next was the stuff of VFX legend: Manhattan melted under a massive laser. F-14 Tomcats picked dogfights with alien spaceships. There were heroes and sacrifices. It was all visually glorious. If you haven’t seen this masterpiece, there’s a big spoiler ahead. The film reaches its climax on the morning of July Fourth, just as Earth’s ransacked military is launching a final assault against these technologically advanced invaders. As he’s rallying the troops for a final speech, President Whitmore (played by the ever-gruff <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Pullman">Bill Pullman</a>) says:“We will not go quietly into the night. We will not vanish without a fight…”Man. I still get goosebumps. <figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V16tMmTezFQ"><div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:100%;height:0;padding-bottom:56.2493%"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/V16tMmTezFQ" style="position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;top:0;left:0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div></figure> Appropriating this iconic holiday was a clever plot mechanism, but it also illustrated how a crisis can unify people around a common cause. In the movie, mankind is on the line, and “Independence Day” transcends its American roots, symbolizing a victory for the entire planet. It feels like our world could use a dose of that unifying spirit right now, but I digress. Digital publishers have also been experiencing an “invasion” by advanced technology. For the last few years, AI crawlers have been infesting the web, harvesting content and repurposing it for answer engines like <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://chatgpt.com/">ChatGPT</a> and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.perplexity.ai/">Perplexity</a>. According to one study, more than <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.fastcompany.com/91361611/ai-chatbots-are-breaking-the-web-and-forcing-a-404-makeover">half of Americans use one of these chatbots</a> to search and navigate the web. As people continue to shift their preferences to these tools, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/conductor-ai-revs-up-brand-discoverability-in-generative-ai-answer-engines">zero-click searches</a> are destroying traffic and, consequently, punishing content creators. To understand why this is happening, we have to go back to the dawn of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/google-cloud-platform">Google</a>, when it established not only its dominance in search, but also the business model for the web. By allowing the “Big G” to crawl and index your site, you effectively traded content for eyeballs. Search generated traffic, which publishers could value against the sale of digital ads, subscriptions, and other merchandise. You get the rest.The entire model is changing, and Google is partly to blame. Setting aside its nefarious ad practices that resulted in an <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/department-justice-prevails-landmark-antitrust-case-against-google">antitrust lawsuit</a>, Google’s infamous <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://blog.google/products/search/generative-ai-google-search-may-2024/">AI Overview</a> has cannibalized organic search traffic from websites by answering queries directly. At the same time, the total number of Google searches is declining, and last year, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://searchengineland.com/google-search-zero-click-study-2024-443869">60% of them ended without a click</a>. In 2025, we could be looking at some dystopian-level declines.  Where does this leave content creators? If there’s no traffic, how can they translate the value of their website and the experiences they produce? And If AI crawlers continue to invade, pillage, and assimilate their content, where’s the incentive to keep producing the quality work that powers the web?<h3 id="cloudflare-declares-‘content-independence-day’-">Cloudflare declares ‘Content Independence Day’ </h3>When deconstructing this AI conundrum, fighting an advanced alien technology might not be the perfect analogy, but it rings some truth. To be fair, AI is astonishing, and it’s having a profound and often positive impact on the way we work. It’s also helping to solve some of the biggest problems we face, from fully unlocking our genomes to accelerating a cure for cancer.But for the creator and knowledge economies – where generative AI and co-pilots have evolved beyond automating tasks to outright deprecating jobs – it’s been a double-edged sword.Now, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/cloudflare">Cloudflare</a> is attempting to fight back with what it calls “Content Independence Day.” The cloud infrastructure provider just announced that it’s changing its default setting to block AI crawlers unless they agree to pay creators for their content. This, of course, requires the employment of Cloudflare as a CDN, but it's a “full stop” moment.As co-founder and CEO Matthew Prince <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://blog.cloudflare.com/content-independence-day-no-ai-crawl-without-compensation/">wrote in his announcement</a> on July 1, content is the “fuel” that powers AI engines. In his mind, it's only fair that content creators are compensated directly for it.This move has a lot of weight behind it. As one of the largest networks on the planet, Cloudflare serves roughly 20% of the web with its cloud infrastructure services, which include content delivery, DDoS protection, load balancing, bot management, and more. In the announcement, the company suggested that it was being joined by a “majority of leading publishers and AI companies." This likely includes media outlets like The New York Times, which has been publicly embroiled in lawsuits with <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/27/business/media/new-york-times-open-ai-microsoft-lawsuit.html">OpenAI and Microsoft</a> over content copyright infringement. It’s also worth noting that many large publishers like The Atlantic and Vox have <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.axios.com/2024/05/29/atlantic-vox-media-openai-licensing-deal">already struck deals with AI companies</a> to license their content for AI model training.This news isn’t exactly shocking. Cloudflare has been laying the groundwork over the last year, giving publishers <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://techcrunch.com/2024/07/03/cloudflare-launches-a-tool-to-combat-ai-bots/">an array of tools</a> for battling the onslaught of AI crawlers. But the path is leading to what Prince describes as a “marketplace” where publishers can choose to provide access to AI bots and be compensated for it.This week, Cloudflare took the first step in launching its new <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/01/cloudflare-launches-a-marketplace-that-lets-websites-charge-ai-bots-for-scraping/">“Pay per Crawl”</a> vision, which is in the experimental phases. It works just like it sounds: A website owner can choose to allow individual AI crawlers to index their content for an agreed-upon rate. Alternatively, websites can allow free access or block bots altogether. According to Cloudflare, its customers will have enhanced visibility into how a specific bot is using their content for things like model training.There’s no word yet on what that pricing model will look like, but Cloudflare is endeavoring to put choice fully in the hands of content creators and publishers. It’s asserting what Seth Godin might call a “permission-based methodology,” where the actions are transparent, the intentions are in the sunlight, and the user has the power. Overall, that sounds healthy. In his blog post, Prince also discussed the shift to a new paradigm for scoring and valuing content. Since the beginning of Google, we’ve been hyper-focused on traffic as the end-all, be-all of analytics. As he proposes, this could be a tipping point – a new “golden age” of high-value content creation that bridges the knowledge gap for AI engines and improves results. Is he right? I’m honestly not sure. Cloudflare is working with experts and economists to map this new marketplace and provide some guidance. There’s already been a swell of positive support for this move, so I’m betting we’ll see traction and adoption over the coming months.The real question is: How will the AI providers adapt? Will they all board the mothership?<h3 id="what-this-could-mean-for-the-cms-industry">What this could mean for the CMS industry</h3>Independence Day painted a terrifying picture of how advanced alien technology could wreak havoc on our planet. But it also demonstrated how human ingenuity – and a mastery of our own tools and technologies – could help us turn the tide. As the engines for content publishing, content management systems are at the foundation of this fight. Nearly every commercial and open source CMS vendor is deploying with a CDN or offers native content delivery controls. That’s even true on the managed open source side (think about how easy it is to flip on a CDN in <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/wp-engine">WP Engine</a>). If Pay per Crawl catches on, there could be a shift of preference towards Cloudflare. Likewise, other CDNs that offer bot management (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/akamai">Akamai</a> and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/fastly">Fastly</a> come to mind) might also introduce default AI blocking. To that end, we can expect increased scrutiny on CDN partnerships and edge technologies.It’s too early to know how this will all play out, but CMS vendors, customers, and practitioners should keep a weather eye on this storm. In the same manner that regulation has galvanized the rights of website users regarding data privacy, this could result in a free-market solution that insulates content creators from the yoke of AI crawlers and provides fair compensation. As the New York Times said, it’s like a toll road, and bots finally have to pay the piper. As a publisher, they've been vocal and audacious about fortifying their content domain, because the leap to digital hasn't exactly been an easy or profitable transition. AI is just the latest threat to their content-driven model. At the same time, brands don't want to be left out of the answer engines. This is a critical point that can't be overstated. Policing bot activity is coming a little too late in the program; they're not going anywhere, and companies want to ensure their presence on ChatGPT and Perplexity. As Cloudflare suggested, this could ultimately coalesce in a new marketplace, one where the crawler economy collides with the agentic. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/01/cloudflare-launches-a-marketplace-that-lets-websites-charge-ai-bots-for-scraping/">As the they outlined,</a> agents could be given “budgets” to hunt down the best and most relevant content – and even leverage an industry-specific stablecoin or token system to transact with. CMSes could become key instruments in this, providing control planes and vectors for how bots can engage with content. If website owners have visibility into the kinds of bots hitting their pages, they can be strategically selective and use permission-based methodologies to allow access. The CDN layer might be the core control point, but the CMS could help simplify that. Via analytics, content creators could also identify which pages are higher-value targets, and thus worth more to a bot.Headless CMSes and composable DXPs might be better positioned to adapt to this new marketplace by leveraging APIs for fine-tuning crawl exposure. We could see the injection of native crawl budgeting or cost-governance tools, as well as dashboards that monitor a variety of dimensions and dynamic indexing based on analytics. This is all pie-in-the-sky, but the potential is ripe for innovation.At the center of this is content strategy, which will likely continue a shift towards “value per crawl.” It’s still all about optimization, but we should expect even smarter tools to help improve site structure and schema – and in this sense, the fundamentals are still sound.There’s a lot more I could speculate on, but it doesn’t change the simple fact that AI needs content, and websites need traffic. Maybe it’s time that there’s a fair transaction between the two. This move is attempting to marry performance with transparency and financial accountability, and CMSes that offer more control could have an advantage.We don’t need to blow up the world to solve this problem, but declaring an “Independence Day” might be a good start. And Cloudflare might be in the best position to help content creators "not go quietly into the AI night.'" <hr /><h4 style="text-align:center" id="looking-for-guidance-on-cloudflare?-talk-to-an-expert.">Looking for guidance on Cloudflare? <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/contact">Talk to an expert.</a></h4><hr /> <h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:31.83%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/01/cms-connect-2025-logo.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-connect-25"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect25">CMS Connect 25</a></h4>August 5-6, 2025 – Montreal, CanadaWe are delighted to present the second annual summer edition of our signature global conference dedicated to the content management community! CMS Connect will be held again in beautiful Montreal, Canada, and feature a unique blend of masterclasses, insightful talks, interactive discussions, impactful learning sessions, and authentic networking opportunities. Join vendors, agencies, and customers from across our industry as we engage and collaborate around the future of content management – and hear from the top thought leaders at the only vendor-neutral, in-person conference exclusively focused on CMS. Space is limited for this event, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect25">so book your seats today.</a>

We will not go quietly into the AI night: What Cloudflare’s ‘AI Independence Day’ could mean for CMS

Optimizely Opal Gets Supercharged for Agentic AI, Powering Infinite Use Cases for Marketers

<hr /> It’s a data swamp out there, and brands are trudging through it. With customer data sprawled across a multitude of devices, platforms, and identities, enterprises are struggling to unify the chaos, glean meaningful insights, and create more personalized experiences.As people engage via a widening channel of digital touchpoints, unifying disjointed customer records has become a huge blocker. While features in CDPs and data warehouses have provided a salve, the use of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://hightouch.com/blog/identity-resolution-tools">identity resolution tools</a> – software solutions that link customer data points across different systems – has become an essential resource for keeping the mud off your boots.But when the data picture is incomplete, things get fuzzy. This is where <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/hightouch">Hightouch</a> is sharpening the details with precision and giving marketers more reliable insight. The composable CDP and AI decisioning platform just introduced probabilistic Identity Resolution, an adaptive feature of Hightouch’s powerful warehouse-native customer data platform that combines AI with deterministic logic to fill in the gaps of fragmented profiles. This new capability introduces what Hightouch calls “multi-zone” identity resolution, which enables businesses to jump between high-confidence deterministic matching and higher-reach probabilistic matching within a single project setup. In this sense, it combines the best of both worlds in one unified solution within the CDP.“Most identity resolution tools are either rigid or opaque,” said <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/tejasmanohar/">Tejas Manohar</a>, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Hightouch. “We’ve built something entirely new, a multi-zone identity engine that lets customers toggle between high-confidence deterministic graphs and higher-reach probabilistic graphs, without sacrificing transparency or control.”<h3 id="determining-the-probabilities-with-ai">Determining the probabilities with AI</h3>We live in an ever-expanding world of digital touchpoints, and consumers are engaging across a litany of devices and channels. With so much data in so many places, brands are struggling to capture clean and accurate customer data from a disjointed mountain of customer records, which is eroding the effectiveness of marketing and personalization.While identity resolution helps cut through the chaos, it has inherent challenges relative to the use case. Transactional emails, for example, perform best with high-confidence deterministic matching. Meanwhile, things like ad targeting work best with high-reach probabilistic matching. With Hightouch, you can use the right method for the right use case. Toggle to deterministic identity resolution to leverage exact matches with identical email addresses or phone numbers. Jump to probabilistic identity resolution and utilize machine learning models to infer connections between similar (but not identical) records. This can include linking a nickname and personal email to a business identity to help fill a gap.<h3 id="powerful-identity-resolution-features">Powerful identity resolution features</h3>While other platforms offer probabilistic matching, Hightouch is the first to make both probabilistic and deterministic resolution fully configurable, transparent, and warehouse-native. This enables brands to control their identity resolution logic, optimize for different downstream use cases, and preserve data ownership at every step. Features of Hightouch's adaptive Identity Resolution include its noted multi-zone matching, which enables users to adjust confidence levels up for precision or down for reach. Now you can shift your deterministic and probabilistic resolution in parallel depending on your use case. It's also highly configurable and transparent, allowing you to fine-tune your matching logic, inspect machine learning decisions, and customize golden record logic without code.Hightouch's warehouse-native architecture also allows users to perform identity resolution on their complete data, directly in the data warehouse. No need to move data into a separate CDP or black box – it's all handled in one place, and it's all configurable and transparent. With Hightouch's real-time activation, you can put merged profiles to work instantly across ads, email, customer success, and more through its deep integration ecosystem. As Hightouch contends, this isn’t a “one-size-fits-all algorithm” they’re applying, but an intelligent, transparent framework that evolves with your business needs. And with AI inside the warehouse, identity resolution steps up from being just a hygiene task to a strategic advantage.<h3 id="the-verdict">The verdict</h3>Identity resolution tools have been around for a while at both a warehouse-native and black box level, providing options that are native and outside an organization’s data stack. Proximity aside, there are implicit limitations that are exacerbated by the growing number of data sources and disjointed customer records. Hightouch is endeavoring to solve this problem with its novel multi-zone identity engine. What’s key is that customers have more power to switch between deterministic and probabilistic graphs to achieve a more complete picture and attain greater confidence. There's more control over use cases for high confidence or high reach, and this could deliver more value to marketing teams as they focus more on personalization.The artificial intelligence piece is also pivotal, unlocking more scale and potential as the lakes of data continue to grow. But this investment in AI-powered solution is precisely what’s putting this platform on the map. Hightouch is still “riding high” as it innovates along its AI decisioning capabilities, which earned it an <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/u-cant-touch-this-cdp-hightouch-nails-80m-series-c-to-power-its-ai-decisioning">$80 million Series C last February.</a>Earlier this year, I spoke with Hightouch’s <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/hightouch-taps-adam-greco-as-product-evangelist-strengthening-its-leadership-in-composable-cdps">Product Evangelist, Adam Greco,</a> about the evolution of the company’s composable CDP and how it’s challenging the category. As I observed at the time, Hightouch is plotting a unique course, and this latest foray into native, AI-powered identity resolution is further evidence of that.  <hr /><h4 style="text-align:center" id="looking-for-guidance-on-hightouch?-talk-to-an-expert.">Looking for guidance on Hightouch? <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/contact">Talk to an expert.</a></h4><hr /> <h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:31.83%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/01/cms-connect-2025-logo.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-connect-25"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect25">CMS Connect 25</a></h4>August 5-6, 2025 – Montreal, CanadaWe are delighted to present the second annual summer edition of our signature global conference dedicated to the content management community! CMS Connect will be held again in beautiful Montreal, Canada, and feature a unique blend of masterclasses, insightful talks, interactive discussions, impactful learning sessions, and authentic networking opportunities. Join vendors, agencies, and customers from across our industry as we engage and collaborate around the future of content management – and hear from the top thought leaders at the only vendor-neutral, in-person conference exclusively focused on CMS. Space is limited for this event, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect25">so book your seats today.</a>

Hightouch Adds New AI-Powered Adaptive Identity Resolution to its CDP

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