Advertising’s AI Evolution is About to Get Real

By Rob Blake, MD EMEA

AI has become advertising's favourite buzzword. But let’s be honest, it’s starting to lose meaning.

At the latest AdVision event, I joined a panel to discuss how adtech is shaping the infrastructure of the future. One question stood out: “AI is becoming a catch-all term in advertising. What does it actually look like in practice when it comes to delivering real performance improvements?”

It’s a fair question. AI has become a catch-all for everything automated, predictive, or efficient. And that’s part of the problem. When we treat AI as the silver bullet that will magically fix our industry, we stop seeing what really drives performance: people.

At Channel Factory, we believe that progress isn’t about replacing human input, it’s about amplifying it. AI is the butler, not the boss. It takes on the repetitive, time-consuming tasks such as reporting and precision bidding so our teams can focus on what humans do best: strategy, relationships, and creative problem-solving.

When used responsibly, AI becomes an engine of precision rather than prediction. It helps us understand why something performs, not just whether it does. It can interpret context, tone, and audience intent, bringing quality and accountability back into performance.

When suitability becomes performance intelligence

One of AI’s most powerful roles is in redefining brand suitability. Many still confuse suitability with brand safety. Safety is about avoiding harmful or inappropriate environments. Suitability is about actively embracing positive, high quality environments that enhance creative impact and reflect a brand’s values. AI helps identify these high-value spaces, by understanding relevance, tone and emotional context. When advertisers lean into suitability, they see stronger attention, trust, and impact.

This is where human intention meets machine acceleration. AI can process millions of data points in real time, but it still needs people to set the direction. When brand values, creative tone, and audience goals are built into the model, AI becomes a tool for driving genuine performance uplift.

Performance with purpose

The old line between brand and performance advertising is fading fast. AI has made it possible to optimise both in tandem, automating the heavy lifting while revealing what truly drives outcomes.

That means marketers can move away from chasing clicks and impressions and instead focus on contextual performance: how creative, environment, and intent combine to influence real-world results. Campaigns perform better not in spite of responsibility, but because of it.

‍

The real cost of intelligence

AI also brings a new kind of accountability. Technology isn’t free from consequence. When Microsoft rolled out its ChatGPT integration, its electricity use jumped 35% globally. That is a wake-up call.

Smarter AI must also mean sustainable AI: systems that reduce waste, energy use, and inefficiency. Every misaligned impression is not just wasted budget; it is wasted carbon. When brands measure attention and suitability together, they can achieve more attentive seconds with fewer ads, increasing return on ad spend while reducing environmental impact.

2026: The year of proof over promise

Next year will separate those who talk about AI from those who truly integrate it. The winners will be the brands and agencies that can show the proof, with clear evidence of how AI drives attention, efficiency, and ethical performance.

We will move from buzzwords to benchmarks: higher attention, lower waste, measurable outcomes, and transparency in how decisions are made.

AI should work for people, not the other way around. Used consciously, it can create an industry that performs better for brands, for audiences, and for the planet.

‍

If you’re ready to move from AI promise to proof, Channel Factory can help you see what performance really looks like in action.

‍