Observed Signal · Jan 20, 2026 · Conference Coverage · Source: AdExchanger · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
CES 2026: Unmasking AI Hype in Advertising
At CES 2026 in Las Vegas, AdExchanger and the Chief Marketer Network recorded video interviews with digital advertising executives to gather perspectives on industry trends for 2026, lessons from 2025, and which AI use cases are genuinely impactful versus hype. The piece presents short-form insights from leaders including Tony Katsur (IAB Tech Lab), Tim and Chris Vanderhook (Viant), André Swanston (PHȲND), Jamie Seltzer (Havas Media Network), Rob Deichert (TripleLift), Dave Olesnevich (The Weather Company), Joshua John (Yahoo DSP) and Chris Signore (Magnite). The interviews focus on practical AI applications, industry mistakes to avoid, and emerging priorities for advertisers and vendors entering 2026.
Conference-level industry perspectives on AI and ad tech trends from CES provide useful signals for practitioners but do not announce platform-level technical releases or regulatory changes that would shift the industry.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- AdExchanger and the Chief Marketer Network conducted video interviews with advertising executives at CES 2026 in Las Vegas.
- Interview subjects include Tony Katsur (CEO, IAB Tech Lab), Tim Vanderhook (CEO, Viant), 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), and Chris Signore (SVP, Business Development, Magnite).
- Topics covered: trends to watch in 2026, what the industry got wrong in 2025, AI use cases with real market impact, and AI claims observed at CES that interviewees viewed skeptically.
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POSSIBLE 2026: Industry Experts Discuss AI Trends
At POSSIBLE 2026 in Miami, Digiday conducted interviews with agency and brand executives about the practical impact of generative AI on marketing while emphasizing the need to stay human. The conference, headed by Christian Muche and owned by The Hyve Group, surfaced recurring themes: pragmatic uses of AI for measurement and efficiency, talent and hiring implications, economic uncertainty, and maintaining emotional/creative connections with audiences. Executives interviewed include Geico’s Katie Klumper (on using AI to find and retain talent), 1440 co-founder Tim Huelskamp (on neutral news and fact‑checking), Marketcast CMO Kerel Cooper (on AI to speed data crunching without losing human insight), media veteran Alan Schanzer, CROING founder Alejandra Salazar and Maybelline New York president Yasmin Dastmalchi (on authentic Latin consumer engagement). Digiday notes a second installment will feature conversations with Christian Muche, Hyve Group CEO Mark Shashoua and other industry execs.
AdExchanger Hot Takes from POSSIBLE 2026
AdExchanger published a podcast episode titled "What’s POSSIBLE With AI" on May 1, 2026, featuring reporters Alyssa Boyle and Anthony Vargas returning from the POSSIBLE conference in Miami. The episode and accompanying piece summarize industry conversations about agentic AI — including the idea of AI agents negotiating media buys (agent-to-agent buying) — and debate whether such approaches will transform programmatic advertising or remain peripheral. The coverage highlights potential operational impacts (how planners translate briefs and how DSPs/SSPs view their data foundations), notes that current agentic systems favor strategic humans who manage AI outputs, and flags conspicuously absent topics at the conference: sustainability, transparency, and publishers.
CES 2026: Agentic AI Revolutionizes Advertising Landscape
AdExchanger’s live podcast coverage from CES 2026 reports that agentic AI was a major theme in the show’s advertising hub, C-Space. Streaming platforms and agency holding companies demonstrated new agentic tools aimed at marketers, while the industry continues to treat CES as an important meeting place for Connected TV (CTV) buyers and sellers. The coverage notes that these offerings show more autonomous capabilities than last year, but fully autonomous programmatic buying remains distant. The episode also includes on-site color (including a Public Enemy performance) and a discussion of why the show matters for CTV commerce and ad-tech connections.
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