TLDR: Vermillio, Time, and Critical Mass have been named finalists for the 2025 Digiday AI Awards, celebrating their innovative and responsible applications of artificial intelligence across the media, marketing, and advertising sectors. Vermillio is recognized for its AI licensing and protection platform, Time for its interactive generative AI experience, and Critical Mass for its AI-driven campaign with Lipton.
New York, NY – October 21, 2025 – The 2025 Digiday AI Awards have unveiled their list of finalists, highlighting companies that are setting new benchmarks for the creative and ethical deployment of artificial intelligence. Among the distinguished nominees are Vermillio, Time, and Critical Mass, each recognized for their significant contributions to the evolving AI landscape within the media, marketing, and advertising industries. These organizations are demonstrating tangible success through their AI efforts, spanning empowerment, accessibility, global reach, and inclusivity.
Vermillio has secured a finalist spot in the ‘Most Responsible Use of AI’ category. The company’s innovative AI licensing and protection platform is designed to empower talent, studios, labels, and other intellectual property (IP) holders to safeguard their work in the age of generative AI. Central to Vermillio’s offering is its proprietary TraceID technology, which grants creators control over their content’s usage while enabling them to safely explore AI’s potential. In 2024 alone, Vermillio demonstrated its effectiveness by removing over 130,000 unauthorized AI-generated pieces of content and delisting harmful sites from search engines. The company also launched ‘4C Verified,’ a free NIL protection service aimed at returning power to creators.
Global media brand Time, with a 102-year history and a reach of over 120 million people worldwide, is a finalist in the ‘Most Innovative Use of AI by a Publisher’ category. In December 2024, Time debuted ‘Time AI,’ an interactive generative AI experience developed in partnership with Scale AI, OpenAI, and ElevenLabs. This platform allows users to engage in focused, meaningful conversations by asking questions and exploring historical context, receiving accurate, in-depth information derived from verified Time articles and archives. The initiative is built with robust guardrails to ensure accuracy, safety, and alignment with Time’s stringent editorial standards.
Critical Mass is recognized as a finalist in the ‘Best AI-Driven Campaign’ category. The agency’s nomination stems from its impactful work with Lipton, where it leveraged AI to revitalize the ready-to-drink beverage category. This campaign exemplifies how agencies are pioneering new approaches to marketing through advanced AI applications.
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The nominations underscore a broader industry trend where publishers and marketers are continuously innovating with AI, pushing boundaries while also prioritizing responsible and ethical implementation.
