Scott Thomson.
Ad fraud prevention platform TrafficGuard, part of ASX-listed Adveritas, has appointed Scott Thomson head of AI.
Thomson, who has served as a non-executive director at TrafficGuard since early 2024, brings more than a decade of experience at Google, Adobe and Telstra.
TrafficGuard says Thomson will support expansion of AI capabilities, ensuring the platform is positioned to manage ad exposure and fraud risks as the digital advertising ecosystem undergoes a significant shift.
"The AI arms race in ad fraud is real. Fraudsters are already deploying agentic bots and generative AI to evade detection at scale, and staying ahead requires deep AI expertise and a platform built for continuous evolution," Thomson said.
"TrafficGuard has a strong foundation in machine learning-driven detection, and I'm here to accelerate what's next — expanding our AI-powered capabilities beyond fraud detection into intelligent optimisation tools that help advertisers not just protect their spend, but maximise its performance."
The appointment comes at a critical point for the industry. The rapid proliferation of agentic AI - autonomous bots capable of browsing, clicking, filling out forms, and mimicking genuine user behaviour, is fundamentally reshaping the threat landscape for digital advertisers.
Unlike traditional bot traffic, agentic bots operate with human-like intent patterns, making them significantly harder to detect using conventional verification methods.
Industry analysts project that AI-generated invalid traffic will account for an increasingly material share of digital ad spend waste over the coming years.
"We are delighted to welcome Scott in an executive capacity at a pivotal time for TrafficGuard. His deep expertise in AI spanning Google Cloud, generative AI strategy, and enterprise innovation is directly aligned with where we are taking this business,” said Mat Ratty, CEO of TrafficGuard.
“Scott's appointment accelerates our ability to execute our AI roadmap and deliver advanced fraud prevention to advertisers globally. We look forward to the contribution he will make as we enter our next phase of growth."
The appointment follows TrafficGuard's expansion into the United States and the appointment of CPO Miguel Lopes.
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