Agents, Not Ads.

Agentic AI intelligence for advertising executives

57 stories · Updated throughout the day

Advertisers Await Programmatic Pause Ads

The IAB Tech Lab is standardizing programmatic signals for emerging streaming TV ad formats, particularly pause ads, as advertisers increasingly seek to integrate this capability into their campaigns. This development enables programmatic buying and optimization of pause ads within the CTV ecosystem.

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Wondering if Agentic Advertising Works for APAC? Take a Look at Indie Agencies

PubMatic's APAC advertising solutions leader examines how independent agencies in the Asia-Pacific region are adopting and leading implementation of agentic advertising solutions. The article provides insights into practical agentic AI deployment across the advertising ecosystem in a key growth market.

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Optimism On The Croisette: AI, The Open Web And Programmatic Advertising With Equativ’s Michael Lehman

Equativ's Michael Lehman discusses AI's impact on programmatic advertising and the open web at Cannes 2026, offering an optimistic perspective on how agentic AI and automation are reshaping the ad tech ecosystem. The conversation covers AI's role in programmatic buying and selling, addressing industry concerns about the technology's integration into core ad operations.

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CTV Buyers Are Getting The Show-Level Performance Optimization They’ve Always Wanted

CTV advertisers are gaining improved show-level performance optimization and reporting capabilities, enabling better targeting and measurement of ad performance across specific streaming content. This advancement addresses a long-standing challenge where platforms previously offered limited visibility into which shows ads ran in and their impact on campaign results.

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The World Cup Is A Live Outcomes Test For Programmatic Live Sports

The article examines how programmatic advertising is being applied to live sports events, building on lessons from the 2024 Paris Olympics where premium live sports inventory was successfully transacted programmatically. The World Cup serves as a test case for expanding programmatic access to premium live sports, potentially widening the buyer pool and improving reach efficiency.

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Agentic AI and the Evolution of Ad Sales

ADvendio's CTO explores how agentic AI is transforming ad sales and overcoming automation challenges in the complex ad tech ecosystem. The piece examines the evolution of AI adoption across advertising and its impact on automating traditionally manual ad sales processes.

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Amazon DSP Adds Adelaide’s Pre-Bid Attention Targeting

Adelaide's attention measurement technology is now integrated into Amazon DSP, enabling advertisers to use pre-bid targeting based on attention metrics (AU score) to identify and target high and medium-attention inventory. This represents a concrete application of measurement and optimization technology within a major DSP platform to improve ad performance.

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More AI agents won’t fix advertising

Clinch AI's CEO argues that simply deploying more AI agents won't solve advertising's core challenges around speed, efficiency, and performance. The piece cautions that in fragmented ad tech systems, additional autonomous agents can paradoxically create more noise rather than improve outcomes.

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For Video Publishers, Performance And AI Go Hand In Hand

Video publishers are integrating AI features into their CTV offerings to improve ad performance measurement and targeting capabilities. Publishers are leveraging data and AI to help advertisers demonstrate measurable reach and results while expanding their audience reach.

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How automation and AI is reshaping the traditional upfront marketplace

The traditional TV upfront marketplace is being transformed by programmatic automation and AI agents, requiring media buyers to adapt their strategies. The shift represents a fundamental change in how buyers and sellers negotiate and transact for premium inventory.

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ADvendio Launches Specialised AI Workforce to Drive Agentic Advertising

ADvendio has launched specialized agentic AI agents designed specifically for publishers, broadcasters, and retail media networks to automate advertising operations. This represents a new category of agentic AI purpose-built for the advertising ecosystem, enabling autonomous decision-making and optimization across publishing and retail media channels.

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OpenAI tests multi-advertiser ad placements in ChatGPT

OpenAI is expanding its ChatGPT ad platform with multi-advertiser placements and new targeting and campaign management tools. This represents a direct application of agentic capabilities to ad targeting, placement optimization, and campaign management within a conversational AI interface.

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Ogury startet SONA für agentische Zielgruppenplanung und -aktivierung

Ogury has launched SONA, an agentic AI solution designed to bridge the gap between audience planning and activation in digital media buying. The platform uses agent-based technology to improve targeting and audience activation strategies throughout the media planning process.

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Ogury lancia SONA, una soluzione basata su AI agentica per migliorare la coerenza tra pianificazione delle audience e attivazione delle campagne

Ogury launches SONA, an agentic AI solution designed to bridge the gap between audience planning and campaign activation in programmatic advertising. The platform uses Person Intelligence to improve consistency and coherence between audience targeting strategy and actual campaign execution.

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Adform & Adsquare Launch Industry-First Agentic Real-Time Framework Integration

Adform and Adsquare have launched an industry-first implementation of the Agentic Real-Time Framework (ARTF), integrating real-world data capabilities with agentic advertising technology. This partnership enables real-time optimization and decision-making for programmatic advertising using agentic AI systems.

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Why Agentic Measurement Will Reprice The Ad Market

Agentic AI is poised to transform advertising measurement by enabling real-time data collection and analysis, replacing legacy measurement systems that create information delays. This shift will fundamentally reprice the ad market by providing unprecedented visibility into campaign performance and audience insights.

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Crossmedia’s AI Is Built to Free Planners From Excel Hell

Crossmedia is deploying AI to automate manual media planning and buying processes that currently rely on disconnected spreadsheets, aiming to create an integrated ecosystem that reduces grunt work for planners and buyers. The solution directly addresses legacy workflow inefficiencies across the media planning function.

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Beet@20: Doug Rozen of Cadent Warns AI Won’t Replace You, but AI Experts Might

Doug Rozen of Cadent discusses AI's impact on advertising, warning that while AI won't replace professionals, AI experts will become critical hires. The commentary touches on ad frequency optimization and streaming ad effectiveness, key areas where agentic AI is reshaping how advertisers manage campaigns and audience exposure.

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The AI paradox: Marketers trust AI to buy media, not build brands

Marketers show a trust paradox with AI, readily adopting agentic tools for media buying and campaign optimization while remaining skeptical of AI-generated creative and brand-building strategies. The article explores how advertising executives are leveraging automated decision-making for programmatic functions but hesitating to rely on AI for strategic creative work.

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Omnicom’s ‘fewer middlemen’ push is reaching publishers – just not their P&Ls

Omnicom is implementing a "fewer middlemen" strategy that is changing how its agencies interact with publishers, potentially streamlining the ad buying process and reducing intermediaries in the supply chain. This operational restructuring could have implications for how programmatic and direct deals are negotiated, though financial impacts on publisher P&Ls remain unclear.

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TruTxt Launches AI-Powered Translation & Monetisation Platform for Publishers

TruTxt has launched an AI-powered platform that automatically translates and monetizes foreign-language publisher content, enabling publishers to unlock revenue from previously underutilized traffic. The solution uses agentic AI to optimize content accessibility and programmatic ad placement across multiple languages, directly impacting publisher monetization strategies.

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3 things you must know to get AI-native advertising right

The article explores how conversational AI is transforming advertising through real-time recommendations, dynamic creative optimization, and autonomous systems. It provides guidance on implementing AI-native advertising strategies effectively across the ad tech ecosystem.

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OpenAI turns on cost-per-action ads inside ChatGPT

OpenAI has launched cost-per-action (CPA) advertising within ChatGPT, marking the platform's entry into performance-based advertising models. This represents a significant shift toward enabling advertisers to optimize spend based on user actions rather than impressions, creating new opportunities for agentic optimization of ad performance within conversational AI.

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Kargo Announces Integration with ChatGPT Advertising (ANZ)

Kargo, an ad tech platform, announced an integration with ChatGPT Advertising, positioning itself as a technology partner in OpenAI's commercial ecosystem. This integration enables agentic AI capabilities for creative optimization and ad orchestration across premium digital surfaces, combining AI-driven creative and contextual intelligence with programmatic advertising infrastructure.

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Thrad & Cursor Host First Ad Tech Hackathon on Agentic Commerce Infrastructure

Thrad and Cursor are hosting a hackathon focused on building infrastructure for agentic commerce, with over 150 developers and founders developing solutions for AI agents to handle commercial workflows including media buying and negotiations. This event directly addresses the technical foundations needed for autonomous agents to operate within advertising and commerce ecosystems.

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Autonomous Ad Buying Just Ain’t Ready Yet; A CMO By Any Other Name

WPP Media's Emily Lai discusses the limitations of autonomous AI-powered ad buying, noting that 80-90% of campaigns are too complex for AI to handle independently. The article explores the current state of agentic AI in programmatic advertising and where human oversight remains necessary.

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Agencies are moving closer to supply, and it’s reshaping the programmatic middle layer

Holding company agencies are adopting containerization to gain greater control over programmatic infrastructure, moving closer to supply-side operations and reshaping the traditional middle layer of the ad tech stack. This structural shift reflects agencies' strategic move to consolidate capabilities and reduce dependence on third-party platforms in programmatic buying and selling.

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Contextual Ads Have Finally Graduated from ‘Cookie Backup Plan’ Status: Seedtag’s Tina Iannacchino

Seedtag's Tina Iannacchino argues that contextual targeting is becoming a critical strategy as publishers face cookie deprecation, referral traffic collapse, and AI search competition. The article examines how contextual advertising—traditionally viewed as a backup to first-party data—is now essential to publisher viability and ad effectiveness in a post-cookie landscape.

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The Upfronts: Day 3

Coverage of the 2026 Upfronts' final day, highlighting NFL rights deals, AI ad-tech pitches, and industry consolidation shaping the competitive landscape. The article captures key announcements and strategic positioning from major players during the annual upfront marketplace event.

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Your campaigns span 12 channels. Why does it feel like 12 jobs? by AdPlus

AdPlus examines the operational complexity of managing campaigns across multiple channels and how fragmented tools impact performance marketers. The article addresses pain points in cross-channel ad operations that agentic AI solutions could potentially streamline and optimize.

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Prog AI Live: AI’s Slippery Slop

Prog AI Live explores how the definition of premium inventory shifts in an agentic AI world, examining whether traditional quality signals like prestige publishers and high-quality video remain relevant as AI agents reshape advertiser behavior and decision-making in programmatic buying.

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AI Is Finally Doing Real Work In Ad Ops (But Only When It Works With Your Existing Tech)

Publishers are deploying AI agents in ad operations to automate manual tasks like GAM report analysis and revenue troubleshooting, but success depends on seamless integration with existing technology stacks. Industry leaders are shifting from conceptual AI discussions to practical, workflow-integrated solutions that deliver real operational efficiency gains.

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Not Every Ad Server Needs AI. Here’s Where It Actually Matters

An ad tech expert examines where AI actually adds value in ad serving infrastructure versus where it's simply a marketing label. The piece cautions buyers against overpaying for AI capabilities that don't deliver genuine innovation in programmatic buying and selling workflows.

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Programmatic Advertising Expands to Car LED Screens

Adtelligent has launched programmatic advertising capabilities for LED screens mounted on car roofs through partnerships with Uklon Ads and Advision, expanding digital out-of-home (DOOH) inventory into automated buying channels. This integration brings mobile vehicle-based advertising into the programmatic ecosystem, enabling brands to access a new category of dynamic ad placements.

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These AI Agents Want To Handle All The Annoying Parts Of Media Buying

AI agents are being deployed to automate the manual, time-consuming aspects of programmatic media buying operations, including data management, report reconciliation, QA checks, and client communication. These tools aim to handle repetitive backend tasks that remain largely manual despite advances in automated bidding technology.

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Richer contextual signals in the bidstream help agencies and publishers alike

Seedtag discusses how enhanced contextual signals in the programmatic bidstream are improving decision-making for both agencies and publishers. The article examines how combining identity-based and contextual data creates better targeting and buying outcomes in programmatic environments.

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Why Amazon and YouTube pitched operating systems, not just TV inventory at this year’s upfront

Amazon and YouTube positioned their upfront offerings around operating systems and infrastructure rather than just inventory, with negotiations increasingly centered on identity, infrastructure, and AI-driven buying capabilities. The shift reflects how CTV platforms are leveraging agentic AI and data infrastructure to enable more sophisticated programmatic buying and targeting.

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Inside The Trade Desk’s Claude-powered campaign agent

The Trade Desk is leveraging Anthropic's Claude LLM to power a campaign agent that automates campaign building and optimization. This represents a direct application of agentic AI to programmatic advertising operations, with potential implications for DSP functionality and campaign management workflows.

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CMOs Have To Be More Tech-Enabled Than Ever – And So Do Their Agencies

Advertising agencies are increasingly deploying AI-powered platforms to automate and optimize key functions including creative testing, audience targeting, and campaign planning. The article highlights how CMOs and their agencies must develop greater technical sophistication to leverage these AI tools effectively across the advertising ecosystem.

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Marketers put up guardrails as AI agents reshape programmatic buying

Marketers are implementing governance frameworks and safety measures as AI agents increasingly automate programmatic buying decisions. The focus is on maintaining human oversight, transparency, and control over autonomous AI-driven bidding and targeting strategies.

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Universal Ads’ Adam Royle: Koddi Partnership Brings CTV to Commerce Buyers ‘Where They are Working Today’

Universal Ads and Koddi partnered to integrate CTV buying, planning, and measurement directly into commerce platforms, enabling retail media advertisers to access television inventory through their existing workflows. The integration streamlines the traditionally fragmented process of buying connected TV, reducing barriers for commerce-focused buyers.

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‘We should own it’: Hershey’s programmatic chief on AI agents and media mix modeling

Hershey has developed an AI-enabled media mix modeling (MMM) system to optimize media investment decisions, with the company's programmatic chief indicating further agentic AI applications are planned. The confectionary advertiser is actively exploring how AI agents can inform and automate media planning and buying decisions across the organization.

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The state of agentic advertising

A State of the Industry Report examining agentic advertising adoption across publishers, advertisers, and agencies, covering investment levels, organizational readiness, implementation barriers, and business impact. The report positions agentic AI as the latest optimization approach transforming media buying and selling operations.

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IAB Unveils 2026 NewFronts, Marking a Defining Moment for Streaming, CTV, and AI-Powered Video

The IAB's 2026 NewFronts event highlights the streaming and CTV marketplace's evolution toward real-time, AI-driven operations including agentic execution, creative expression, and measurement. The event signals industry recognition that agentic AI is becoming central to video buying, selling, and optimization across the digital video ecosystem.

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Taboola Data Reveals 76% Advertisers See Improved Performance From Agentic AI

Taboola reports that 76% of advertisers are seeing improved performance from agentic AI solutions, with growing interest in deploying these capabilities across open web ecosystems beyond walled gardens. The research indicates strong advertiser adoption of AI-powered performance tools and expansion of agentic AI use cases in the advertising ecosystem.

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Adform Opens Full-Stack Infrastructure for Agentic Advertising

Adform has opened its full-stack advertising infrastructure to enable agentic AI integration, allowing clients to connect their own AI tools directly to Adform's DSP, ad server, DMP, and ID Fusion capabilities. This move enables AI agents to autonomously manage and optimize advertising operations across the company's integrated platform.

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