AI: FROM CAPABILITY TO IMPACT
Artificial intelligence has moved decisively from novelty to infrastructure. In 2026, the question for advertisers in Ireland is no longer what AI can do, but what its widespread adoption means for how brands are built, discovered, and trusted.
Over the past two years, AI has been rapidly absorbed into the marketing workflow. Tools that once felt experimental are now embedded across planning, production, targeting and measurement. This acceleration has delivered clear gains: faster analysis, more adaptive media buying, more efficient content development and improved optimisation. In short, AI has raised the baseline of what is possible.
At Core, our view on AI is consistent and unchanged. We see AI as a collaborator, not a replacement. Its greatest value lies in expanding thinking, testing possibilities, and freeing people to focus on judgement, creativity and meaning. Every major shift in our industry, from digital to social to programmatic, has rewarded those who paired new tools with strong strategic discipline. AI will be no different.
For Irish advertisers, this moment matters. Ireland is a highly concentrated media market, dominated by global platforms whose AI-driven systems increasingly determine visibility, pricing and performance. As search, social and retail media converge, AI is not just optimising campaigns; it is shaping the pathways through which brands are discovered, recommended, and prioritised. This shifts power upstream, away from individual channels and towards systems that reward relevance, consistency, and trust over time.
There are many benefits from AI but there are also some watch-outs advertisers need to be aware of. While the major platforms offer increasingly sophisticated AI solutions, they are, by design, optimised for their own ecosystems. Their models prioritise platform efficiency and inventory yield, not necessarily long-term brand or business outcomes. As a result, independent judgement, comparability, and effectiveness become harder to sustain.
This is where agencies must evolve their role. To create genuine advantage, agencies need proprietary technology and analytical capability that sits above and across platforms, not within them. Independent tools that integrate data sources, evaluate performance holistically and apply consistent effectiveness frameworks are essential to counterbalance platform bias. Without this layer, advertisers risk optimising activity within channels while losing sight of impact across the wider system.
While AI allows brands to understand audiences with greater depth, respond to signals in near real-time and design more useful, more personalised experiences, there is the potential for it to compress differentiation. When everyone has access to the same tools, signals and optimisation logic, distinctiveness becomes harder to sustain. Competitive advantage increasingly comes from how insight is interpreted, governed and applied, not simply from access to technology.
That is why effectiveness remains the critical lens. AI excels at efficiency, but effectiveness depends on intent, structure and oversight. Without a clear strategy and independent measurement, AI simply accelerates activity, not impact. The strongest brands in 2026 will be those that combine platform capability with agency-led proprietary thinking, using AI to sharpen focus, not fragment it; reinforcing long-term brand building while improving short-term performance.
Trust is also becoming central. As AI-generated content, automated targeting and algorithmic recommendations become more visible to consumers, scrutiny increases. People remain open to AI when it adds value, reduces friction, and respects boundaries. They are far less tolerant when it feels intrusive, opaque, or manipulative. Responsible use of data and clear human oversight are no longer optional; they are foundational to brand credibility.
Looking ahead, success will not belong to the brands that adopt AI fastest, but to those that use it most clearly and deliberately. AI will continue to change how brands are discovered, planned, and executed, but it will not change what success means. Effectiveness will still be judged by growth, real business impact and the strength of human connection.
