TrafficGuard, an AI-driven digital ad verification and invalid traffic (IVT) prevention platform, has appointed Scott Thomson as Head of AI to accelerate its next phase of innovation.
Thomson will lead the integration and execution of AI across the company’s platform, building on over eight years of machine learning deployment that has positioned TrafficGuard at the forefront of ad fraud detection. He brings more than a decade of experience spanning roles at Google, Adobe, Telstra, and as the founder of consultancy firm SCRYPTID.
The company was among the early adopters of machine learning for real-time IVT detection, analysing billions of data points to uncover fraud patterns beyond traditional rules-based systems. This foundation is now being scaled to counter increasingly sophisticated threats in digital advertising.
CEO Mat Ratty said Thomson’s expertise in AI, including Google Cloud and generative AI strategy, aligns with TrafficGuard’s growth ambitions and will fast-track its AI roadmap.
Thomson, who has served as a non-executive director since 2024, said the evolving “AI arms race” in ad fraud demands continuous innovation, noting that fraudsters are already deploying agentic bots and generative AI to evade detection.
He will spearhead the expansion of AI capabilities beyond fraud detection into optimisation tools aimed at improving ad performance, while supporting product development and market adoption across new channels.
The appointment comes amid rising concerns over agentic AI—autonomous bots that mimic human behaviour—reshaping the fraud landscape and making detection more complex. Industry projections indicate AI-generated invalid traffic could account for a growing share of wasted ad spend.
TrafficGuard said the move strengthens its global growth strategy, following recent expansion in the United States and leadership hires, as it scales efforts to help advertisers eliminate invalid traffic and maximise campaign returns.
