Home AI CES 2026: What’s Real – And What’s BS – When It Comes To AI

CES 2026: What’s Real – And What’s BS – When It Comes To AI

SHARE:
Jamie Seltzer, global chief data and technology officer, Havas Media Network, speaks to AdExchanger at CES 2026.
Jamie Seltzer, global chief data and technology officer, Havas Media Network, chats with AdExchanger at CES 2026.

At CES 2026 in Las Vegas, AdExchanger and the Chief Marketer Network asked digital advertising insiders for their perspective on where the industry stands as we kick off the new year.

We got their takes on trends to watch in 2026, as well as what the industry got wrong last year and how it can learn from those mistakes.

We also asked them to separate the real AI use cases having an impact on the market today from the AI hype they heard at the show.

Check out the videos below for hot takes from these industry experts:

  • Tony Katsur, CEO, IAB Tech Lab
  • Tim Vanderhook, CEO, and Chris Vanderhook, COO, Viant
  • André Swanston, CEO, PHȲND
  • Jamie Seltzer, global chief data and technology officer, Havas Media Network
  • Rob Deichert, COO, TripleLift
  • Dave Olesnevich, head of product, The Weather Company
  • Joshua John, senior director, product strategy, Yahoo DSP
  • Chris Signore, SVP, business development, Magnite

What’s something the ad industry got wrong in 2025 that you hope to learn from this year?

What’s a trend to watch in 2026?

What’s an AI use case you feel positive about for this year?

What’s something you’ve heard about AI at CES that you want to call BS on?

How would you describe CES 2026 in three words or one phrase?

Must Read

Viant Sees A Growth Wave Coming, But First Marketers Must Really Ditch Walled Garden Ad Tech

Viant’s modest growth story took a backseat to a far louder claim: that fed-up advertisers are finally ready to ditch the rigged economics of Big Tech’s walled gardens.

Amazon’s Interactive CTV Ad Suite Now Includes Creative Optimization

Amazon Ads expects this year’s television upfronts to be an outcomes-focused affair. That may explain why the company preempted its Monday evening presentation by announcing the launch of a new ad product called Dynamic TV Creative.

Is Agentic Commerce An Oasis Or Mirage?

For companies like Shopify, Criteo and Instacart – and even for giants like Amazon and Walmart – figuring out if the agentic oasis is real or a mirage is their priority No. 1.

Privacy! Commerce! Connected TV! Read all about it. Subscribe to AdExchanger Newsletters

PubMatic’s Agentic AI Is Going Beyond Direct Deals

PubMatic has run more than 30 fully autonomous, end-to-end agentic campaigns through the SSP’s AgenticOS platform, in addition to more than 1,000 direct publisher deals.

The Trade Desk Has A Grand Vision, But Needs A New Breed Of CMO To Make It A Reality

TTD CEO Jeff Green laid out the DSP’s plan for winning in a new world of advertising that – AI aside – necessitates major changes in how marketers behave.

A Publisher Didn’t Get Its UID2 Setup Right. The Trade Desk Didn’t Notice. What Went Wrong?

TTD confirmed that this CTV publisher’s errors would have made its UID2s useless for ad targeting. But TTD also said it wouldn’t have had enough information to flag the issue.