Abby is the latest addition to the Taboola team, and she’s on the road to becoming every advertiser’s favorite go-to resource. We built her with generative AI technology, but she’s so much more than just another AI assistant; she will completely transform how you launch and manage your performance marketing campaigns.
We’ve taught Abby everything we’ve learned over the past decade and given her access to the volumes of advertising data we’ve collected. Using this knowledge and her advanced GenAI capabilities, Abby can create and modify images, suggest the best CTAs, and create attention-getting copy in seconds.
You can learn more about Abby here. We’re so proud of the incredible team that created her that we wanted you to meet them, too!
Abby’s development was truly a global endeavor made up of dozens of Taboolars. The cross-functional team united talent across multiple continents. We spoke to a few of them, including from Israel, Maayan Leshem (Director of Creative Shop & AI Strategist) and Aviv Sinai (EIR Generative AI) who provided strategic vision, while Daniel Weingarten (Product, Abby) drove product development.
The Taiwan office contributed critical R&D expertise, with Ning Ning (VP of R&D), Shan Lee (R&D Team Leader), and Jacky Chen (Algorithm Engineer) powering the technical foundation. Rounding out the team from Los Angeles, Maxim Magaziner (R&D Tech Lead) and Stanley Chiu (Data Science Intern) brought additional technical innovation and fresh perspectives to the project.
The team’s unique blend of cultural and professional insights resulted in an AI assistant that speaks to the needs of global advertisers.
Watch the full interview or check out a few of the highlights below.
The Journey to Launch
The journey to create Abby was not without challenges and learning curves. Jacky pointed out that developing an AI agent is inherently complex, but all advertisers have to do is have a normal conversation with her and let the magic happen. She’ll even ask you questions to fill in the blanks so she can build custom media plans based on your marketing objectives and goals.
For the team, testing Abby with real clients created some truly memorable moments. Maxim described how he felt when they demonstrated Abby’s capabilities: “She suddenly started to answer with real answers, like a real person.” Jacky shared his pride when a client expressed appreciation for Abby’s empathetic responses: “I was so proud of her at that moment,” and Ning Ning beamed with excitement.
The team is eager to see Abby’s impact on advertiser success and how having a GenAI assistant available 24/7 can help alleviate stress if an issue pops up at midnight. Aviv pointed out that Abby’s interactions with clients have been so great that clients have actually opened up when engaging with her.
And, Abby is already proving to be an incredible productivity partner for advertisers – campaigns created with Abby go live 75% faster than manually created ones, so results come rushing in.
A Global Collaboration
Working across different time zones and cultures enriched the team’s experience. Maayan humorously mentioned the odd hours they had to communicate but acknowledged that this diversity fostered unique perspectives. Shan highlighted the importance of communication: “If we stay communicative… we are able to achieve our goals.”
While Abby may be ready for prime time, the team isn’t slowing down. Maayan wants to make Abby “a full 360-degree account manager,” and Daniel sees a future in which advertisers “can sit in the producer’s chair and let Abby do all the work.”
What’s clear is that nothing will stop this team from continuing to improve Abby with the ultimate goal of simplifying the ad creation process for everyone.
