COEY launches at CES 2026: AI-first media built to automate content at global scale
At CES 2026, influencer marketing pioneer Ted Murphy unveiled COEY - an AI-first media technology company built to automate content creation and distribution. The thesis is clear: machines are crossing a threshold in both quality and speed, and media output will increasingly be generated and ranked by algorithms.
Murphy, who founded IZEA and helped kickstart the creator economy, is betting on a bigger shift: AI as the primary producer of content, with humans setting the intent and constraints. "As the AI models improve, the distinction between man and machine will become a secondary concern for the consumer," he said.
Why this matters to marketing and comms leaders
- AI-driven output is getting cheaper, faster, and more targeted - and it performs. A recent NYU Stern study found fully AI-generated visual ads beat human benchmarks with up to a 19% lift in CTR.
- Distribution is algorithmic. Winners will pair autonomous production with tight human oversight to hit brand standards while testing at high frequency.
- Budgets shift from headcount-heavy production to orchestration, QA, and channel optimization.
The Content Crossover: 50% AI-generated by 2028
COEY predicts that by 2028, half of all internet content will be AI-generated - a milestone they call "The Content Crossover." In that environment, advantage goes to teams that combine autonomous speed with human judgment. Think systems, not one-off campaigns.
"Audiences will prioritize relevance, speed, quality and intelligence of AI-driven content," Murphy noted. The public's acceptance curve is steepening as outputs improve and become more useful.
From influence to automation: the acceptance cycle
Murphy saw this pattern play out with influencers in 2006: early skepticism gave way to mainstream adoption. The same arc is unfolding with AI. Concerns about "soul" and quality fade as models improve and teams learn to guide them.
The takeaway for brands: authenticity and utility aren't mutually exclusive. With the right prompts, guardrails, and editorial logic, AI can meet brand tone while lifting throughput and performance.
What COEY is building
- AI Automation: Intelligent workflows that connect with existing marketing and sales stacks to reduce manual production and handoffs.
- AI Studios: High-volume creation of AI-first video, audio, and visual assets - built for speed without losing polish.
- AI Media: A proprietary network of AI-first channels and sites used as a live R&D lab for format testing and optimization before client deployment.
Autonomous production in practice: COEY Cast
COEY runs a daily podcast, produced entirely by autonomous systems. The stack covers research, synthesis, fact-checking, scripting, voice, and multi-platform publishing - for a few dollars per episode.
The message: a production house can be compressed into workflows and models, with humans setting the plan and reviewing outputs.
How to pilot this in your org
- Pick one format (e.g., daily social video or a weekly executive brief). Define prompts, tone, references, and compliance checks.
- Automate the loop: topic sourcing → draft generation → brand QA → publish → performance feedback into prompts.
- Measure two things: cost per produced asset and performance per asset. Reinvest gains into testing more formats and channels.
- Keep humans in the right spots: strategy, approvals, and sensitive messaging. Let models handle volume and iteration.
From stealth to scale
COEY has been operating in stealth with Fortune 500 brands and leading AI firms, and is now opening its platform and services more broadly. If you're evaluating autonomous content systems for 2026 planning, explore their work at coey.com.
Need a skills upgrade for your team?
If you're standing up an AI-assisted content program and want practical training for marketers, see this certification: AI Certification for Marketing Specialists.
"Our mission is to scale human creativity through intelligent machine collaboration," Murphy said. The playbook is simple: automate the repeatable, keep people on strategy and taste, and let performance data steer the next draft.
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