Once upon a time, “cookie” was the word that passed the lips of every speaker at Programmatic IO. Now there is another buzzword on everyone’s minds: AI.
Programmatic vets are building startups of interlocking AI agents or companies focused on categorizing every piece of video content using AI. Agencies are integrating AI into their processes, hoping to improving client performance. And publishers are seeing traffic decline as they weigh how to pursue licensing models with AI companies.
At Programmatic IO New York, it was clear the industry is in roll-up-its-sleeves mode, experimenting with how to use AI to drive results. On stage Monday, Gartner’s Nicole Greene warned marketers that many AI technologies are entering what the consultancy terms the “trough of disillusionment.” This downward slope is where the early wins fade and skepticism creeps in. It’s where the hard work begins.
Our editorial team gathered for a live podcast at the end of Programmatic IO in New York. Together, we distilled what was said about AI.
Measurement, too, popped up across the conference as where marketers look to tune their media investment. It’s how marketers are staying honest, and its importance grows as signals blur and marketers must recalibrate platform-based attribution using media mix modeling (MMM).
As the industry matures, it’s learning it can’t grow unchecked: Regulators are paying attention, and their actions will affect the competitive set of SSPs, as well as the types of data being collected, and where the industry feels comfortable using that data.
