Looking back at the receipts from around May 2026, the marketing industry's conversation around artificial intelligence had clearly shifted. The abstract fears and fantasies were giving way to the practical, and often messy, realities of integration. The core questions were no longer *if* AI would change advertising, but *how* it would be paid for, *where* it would fit in the workflow, and *what* new rules it would require.
Before AI could become a ubiquitous agency tool, it first had to settle on a business model. On that front, a 2024 prediction from David Berkowitz proved remarkably accurate. He forecasted that consumer AI platforms would follow the path of streaming services by embracing ad-supported tiers. By early 2026, that was the reality, creating the inventory and advertiser access that paved the way for broader experimentation.
With the 'how to pay for it' question settled, attention turned to the production pipeline. Tameka Kee was prescient in her late-2025 call that by mid-2026, generative AI would be involved in over half of major agency creative, even if mostly behind the scenes in ideation and storyboarding. This growing adoption supports the trend Jeff Sundheim noted, predicting a rapid growth in AI-first creative spend. The most ambitious forecast in this vein belongs to Misha Leybovich, who sees a future for performance advertising with 'no room for humans.' The verdict on that is still years away, but it marks the far end of the automation spectrum.
The industry also began to formalize its relationship with the technology. As clients began asking pointed questions, PR and comms agencies responded just as Aleda Stam predicted, with major firms publishing 'AI editorial standards' to clarify their usage and ethics. This move from a purely technical tool to a matter of public policy was a sure sign of AI's maturation.
**What we're watching:** The clock is ticking on Misha Leybovich's 5-10 year timeline for fully automated performance advertising. We're also tracking whether the growth in AI-first creative spend, as anticipated by Jeff Sundheim, accelerates as the tools for final-asset generation improve.