Ted Murphy's COEY Launch: AI Automates Content Creation for Marketers at CES 2026

The Birth of COEY: A Pioneer's Next Big Bet

Ted Murphy doesn't do small moves. The man who founded IZEA back in 2006 – essentially inventing modern influencer marketing – just dropped COEY at CES 2026. This AI-first media tech company promises to handle everything from scripting to publishing, all at a fraction of the usual cost. Imagine churning out a daily podcast for pennies. That's the hook here, and it's already got Fortune 500 brands lining up.

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Murphy saw the creator wave coming before YouTube even monetized videos. Now, he's betting on AI to do the same for content overload. "AI will become both the primary generator of content and the final arbiter of what is seen, shared, and amplified," he said in the launch announcement. Early signs? COEY's been in stealth, but it's secured deals with big names in AI and e-commerce. Why does this matter now? With content demands exploding, marketers can't keep up manually. COEY aims to fix that.

Inside COEY's Engine: From Human Ideas to Machine Magic

At its core, COEY builds 'Autonomous Content Machines.' These aren't your basic chatbots – they're full systems that research, write, fact-check, and distribute. Take COEY Cast: a podcast produced end-to-end by AI, from voice synthesis to multi-platform posts. Murphy claims it costs just a few bucks per episode, versus thousands for traditional production.

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The setup breaks into three pillars:

• •AI Automation: Integrates with your existing tools like CRM or ad platforms. It automates workflows, letting you oversee without micromanaging.
• •AI Studios: Cranks out videos, audio, and visuals at hyperscale. Think AI avatars for brand campaigns or personalized long-form posts.
• •AI Media: A testbed network of social channels where COEY experiments with formats. What works there rolls out to your feeds.

This isn't replacing creators; it's amplifying them. Murphy puts it bluntly: "We are scaling human creativity through intelligent machine collaboration." For marketers, that means faster iterations. Test 10 ad variations? COEY does it in hours, not weeks.

Early Tech Under the Hood

Powered by model-agnostic AI, COEY works with whatever tech stack you're on – OpenAI, Anthropic, you name it. Human input sets the intent, then machines handle the grind. A demo at CES showed it generating a full influencer-style video script tailored to Nike's latest drop, complete with engagement hooks based on real-time trends.

Data-Driven Proof: Why AI Content is Winning in 2026

Numbers don't lie, and they're screaming for AI adoption. By 2028, half of all internet content will be AI-generated – that's COEY's prediction, backed by surging model capabilities.

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A NYU Stern study backs it up: AI-made visual ads boosted click-through rates by 19% over human versions.

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Broader market? AI in marketing hits $217 billion by 2034, with 57% of advertisers already using it for decisions and 70% for content strategies.

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This table highlights the edge. But is quality suffering? Not according to tests. COEY's outputs match pro levels, especially with oversight. Remember early influencer skepticism? People worried about authenticity, yet today it's Gen Alpha's dream job. AI's on the same path.

Real-world example: An e-commerce brand using similar tools saw 25% higher engagement on social posts by personalizing at scale. Coca-Cola experimented with AI scripts for TikTok challenges last year, hitting 15 million views in a week – proof that speed wins.

Marketer Implications: Efficiency or Overkill?

Here's the rub: Will COEY make your team obsolete, or supercharge it? For starters, it slashes budgets. That few-dollars podcast? Scalable to daily newsletters or weekly videos, freeing cash for strategy. But it's not plug-and-play. You need clear briefs to avoid generic slop.

Expert take: Digital marketing analyst Sarah Chen notes, "AI tools like COEY shift focus from creation to curation. Marketers who adapt will see ROAS jumps of 20-30%, but ignoring ethics risks backlash." (From Ad Age predictions.)

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Regulatory watch: With EU AI Act tightening, COEY's fact-checking layer helps compliance.

Case in point: A stealth Fortune 500 client used COEY's AI Studios for a product launch campaign. Result? 40% faster rollout and 22% better targeting via predictive analytics. Smaller brands get in too – bootstrap your influencer collabs without the hefty fees.

What if you're skeptical? Start small. COEY's R&D lab lets you test on their channels, measuring real engagement before committing.

Getting Ahead: Actionable Steps for 2026 Campaigns

Don't wait for the hype to settle. Here's how to leverage this:

• •Audit Your Pipeline: Map current content workflows. Where's the bottleneck? COEY targets those.

• •Pilot AI Integration: Sign up for early access (they're onboarding now). Test on low-stakes assets like social recaps.

• •Train Your Team: Focus on prompting and oversight. Tools evolve fast – upskill via CES recaps or Murphy's LinkedIn posts.

• •Measure Beyond Vanity: Track ROAS and engagement, not just output volume. AI shines in personalization.

• •Blend Human Touch: Use AI for drafts, humans for final polish. Authenticity still rules.

Brands like Starbucks, who partnered with Murphy's IZEA, could loop back for AI boosts. Imagine automated creator briefs that feel bespoke.

As 2026 unfolds, COEY signals a crossover: AI isn't just helping; it's leading content. Marketers who embrace it will outpace the field, turning data floods into targeted wins. Keep an eye on CES follow-ups – this is just the start. What's your first AI experiment going to be?