Agencies and Publishers Are Setting the AI Pace—Brands Are Taking Notes
A new IAB report suggests that while AI adoption is picking up across the ad ecosystem, brands are taking a more measured approach compared to their agency and publisher counterparts. The “State of Data 2025” report, based on insights from over 500 media experts, reveals that fewer than half of organizations have fully scaled AI across their campaign workflows. Notably, agencies and publishers are almost twice as likely as brands to have done so. The lag? For brands, it's mostly about cost—60% cite it as the main barrier to embracing AI tools.
Agencies are leaning heavily into AI for audience identification and segmentation—an unsurprising move given the constant churn in consumer behavior and privacy-driven platform changes. Publishers, on the other hand, are using AI to refine inventory forecasting, cross-device attribution, and behavioral analysis. While generative AI is getting the headlines, it's these quieter, operational AI uses that are driving real efficiency. But it's not all plug-and-play: 70% of respondents said they’re not yet fully integrated across media planning, activation, and measurement.
Despite the fearmongering about job-stealing robots, only 37% of industry folks are actually worried about job security. The bigger concerns are messy data and fragmented tools. Fewer than half of organizations have even attempted to implement foundational support like training programs, strategic roadmaps, or governance frameworks.
