NEW YORK—Marketers enter 2026 with surging optimism for digital media investments, yet a stark divide separates their artificial intelligence aspirations from operational reality. Mediaocean's latest 2026 Advertising Outlook Report, the ninth in its bi-annual series drawing from over 6,100 respondents, spotlights this execution gap as fragmented ad tech stacks hinder progress from AI insights to campaign activation.

Generative AI tops consumer trends for the third straight period, with 70% of marketers citing its influence on content discovery, brand engagement and purchasing decisions, according to the report based on November 2025 surveys of brands, agencies, media companies and tech providers. Investment plans reflect this shift: 63% anticipate rises in connected TV and digital video spending, 61% in social platforms and 54% in AI-driven media on AI agents. Traditional outlets like print and linear TV, meanwhile, endure persistent pressure.

Ad Tech’s AI Chasm: Ambition Outpaces Execution Amid System Silos

AI adoption reveals the core tension. While 43% deploy it for data analysis and another 43% for market research, usage plummets to 33% in creative development and just 19% for campaign orchestration. This steep drop underscores how disconnected systems trap valuable insights in early stages, unable to flow into execution.

Orchestration Imperative Emerges