Why affiliates who don’t use AI will fall behind

Summary

Marcello Pollo, CEO of Talking & Gaming, explains why AI is now central to affiliate performance in iGaming — particularly in Latin America and the newly regulated Brazilian market. Talking & Gaming drives most traffic via Google PPC and Performance Max campaigns and uses AI across its analysis processes to speed up decision-making and improve campaign optimisation. Pollo warns affiliates to be wary of overly generous or unsustainable operator offers in Brazil and says regulation will help enforce contracts and protect affiliates. He also stresses that while AI platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini change search behaviours, Google remains pivotal and human oversight is still necessary.

Key Points

AI is embedded across Talking & Gaming’s analysis and optimisation workflows, giving faster, more detailed insights.
The company’s traffic mix is heavily Google-focused: ~95% from PPC and Performance Max, ~5% from SEO and Telegram ads.
AI-driven platforms (ChatGPT, Gemini) are altering discovery but are expected to improve targeting on advertising platforms, not eliminate search.
Regulation in Brazil creates major opportunities but also exposes affiliates to operators offering unrealistic, unsustainable deals.
Affiliates should watch for warning signs in partner contracts and favour enforceable, transparent agreements enabled by regulation.
Industry events and peer knowledge exchange (eg Affiliate Leaders Summit) remain key for learning about new traffic sources and technologies.

Context and relevance

This interview sits at the intersection of three big trends: rapid AI adoption in marketing, search behaviour shifting with large-language-model tools, and growing regulated markets in Latin America — notably Brazil. For affiliates and affiliate managers, these shifts mean adopting AI and data tools is no longer optional if you want to stay competitive. The article is especially relevant to those operating paid search and performance campaigns and anyone negotiating commercial terms with operators in emerging regulated jurisdictions.

Why should I read this?

Short version: if you’re running affiliate traffic and you haven’t started using AI properly, you’re about to lose ground. Marcello keeps it blunt — AI speeds up insight, helps you pick the right campaigns and flags poor commercial deals. Also, Brazil’s new regulation is both a huge chance and a pitfall if you sign dodgy offers. Read it to save time, avoid rookie mistakes and get a quick steer on where to focus your tech and commercial energy.