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This is an excerpt from our Digiday+ Research report “The marketer’s guide to AI applications, agentic AI, AI search and GEO/AEO in 2026,” which explores how marketers are navigating the opportunities and challenges AI brings as it becomes an indispensable part of marketing. The report is based on a survey of 142 brand and agency professionals, as well as individual interviews with marketing and technology executives responsible for AI investments and applications development.

Entering 2026, AI tools that were considered cutting edge only a year ago are now embedded across workflows for brands and agencies. Yet this rapid evolution has also brought new challenges, including how to best integrate AI into internal workflows and the complexity around agentic AI.

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I know I’ve harped on the uncertain economic conditions so far in 2026 quite a bit. (It could have to do with the fact that I looked at my 401K and saw it’s performing at -1.36% year to date, after years of upward growth.)

But the reason it merits being covered is because somehow, for some reason, the ad marketplace isn’t being greatly affected by the uncertainty and volatility, the likes of which the U.S. hasn’t seen since the beginning of the pandemic. Agency holding companies and independents alike are reporting that their clients have not pulled back ad spend — and I’ve been around long enough to know that at this point any time in the past they would have. 

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