Automation Update
The advertising industry is moving beyond traditional programmatic automation, which relies on pre-set rules, towards a more adaptive, AI-driven ecosystem. Unlike the tools of the last decade that simply sped up repetitive tasks, new AI agents are specialised, intelligent systems capable of adapting and collaborating across platforms. This represents a fundamental change in the ad ecosystem, where specialised models move from being simple “copilots” to manage entire workflows without constant human intervention.
What’s new
The most immediate development is the “Battle of Standards” between the AD context protocol (ADCP) and the IAB tech lab. While ADCP seeks to create a brand-new , open-source language native to AI agents, the IAB is working to evolve existing protocols like the OpenRTB to accommodate them.
Furthermore, major publishers like the SUN are already building their own AI Agents to communicate directly with buy-side agents, ensuring they can trade media in an environment where “machines are talking to machines” to find the best audience in real –time.
What it means for Programmatic advertising
Going forward, programmatic advertising will be more about supply path optimisation. AI agents create more direct, efficient paths between sellers and buyers.
Why It Matters for Your Campaigns
Since AI is constantly trimming waste and finding the most “attentive” viewers, ad spend goes further. Buyers, in theory, won’t need to spend hours tweaking bids or pulling reports, where time can be utilised in polishing the overall strategy while AI handles the delivery.
Evolving from “guessing to knowing”
When setting up campaigns and “hoping” it works based on old data , these new agents can predict what will happen next. They can see a trend starting on social media and immediately shift your ads to match the trend before it’s even over. It makes advertising feel less like a gamble and more like precise utility that reacts to the world in real-time
Future Market Impact
Retailers, like Amazon, will become the new “TV networks”. They aren’t just a place to buy books anymore; they are becoming the biggest ad platform in the world. Because they know exactly what you buy, and their AI agents can place your ad at the right moment when someone is asking for a recommendation across any programmatic buys setup in their platform.
Locally, Converge DSP are working with AI agents to rebuild buying logic within their platform, aiming to automate decision-making and reduce reliance on traditional programmatic supply chains. This points towards a shift where smarter workflows, not scale, become the key advantage for Core and our clients.
Read more here:
From automation to autonomy: why AI agents will redefine advertising | The Drum
Agentic AI showdown, AdCP vs. IAB Tech Lab
The Sun is building an AI agent for its programmatic business