The Ad Industry is at an AI Standoff: 60% of Companies Have a Strategy, but Fewer than 30% Trust It

New TripleLift research reveals a widening gap between AI ambition and execution, as marketers struggle to balance automation, oversight, and the human touch

NEW YORK, May 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping how advertising campaigns are built, optimized, and executed but the industry still doesn't fully trust it. New research from TripleLift, the Creative SSP powered by TL Spark, reveals that while 60% of advertising professionals say their companies have a centralized AI strategy, fewer than 30% express high confidence in that approach. The findings point to an industry-wide "AI standoff," where organizations are eager to unlock greater efficiency and performance, but remain hesitant to relinquish control over creative quality, brand safety, and campaign execution.

The findings come from TripleLift's latest industry report, "The Evolution of AI in Global Advertising," featuring responses from 200 global advertising professionals. The report examines how advertisers are integrating AI across media, measurement, audience targeting, and creative workflows and where human oversight still plays a critical role.

"Machine learning has been a staple in the ad space for over a decade, with agentic AI and LLMs fundamentally up-leveling how campaigns are built and optimized," said Rob Deichert, COO at TripleLift. "Now, the human layer is getting tools that can handle tasks ML isn't ideal for. This leaves the industry caught in a balancing act. Companies want better results from AI, yet remain hesitant to share the data and trust required to unlock its full potential."

AI Excels in Data-Driven Tasks, But Creative Remains a Human Stronghold
TripleLift's research highlights a clear divide in how AI is being applied across the four pillars of campaign execution: media, measurement, audience, and creative. While AI is already deeply embedded in data-heavy, manual functions, creative development continues to depend on human input.

• 73% of respondents use AI for campaign optimization, including bidding, audience, and creative adjustments
• 59% use it for audience targeting, including segmentation and contextual modeling
• Just 25% use AI for creative production, with most limiting its role to testing and iteration rather than fully AI-generated assets

Automation Advances, But Full Autonomy Remains Elusive
Despite significant progress, fully autonomous campaigns are still rare. Only 19% of respondents report using AI to completely automate campaign execution, while 40% say they maintain manual control over the entire process.

Creative execution and supply-side decisions, however, continue to require human oversight due to concerns around quality, brand safety, and accuracy.

"When AI systems work in sync across media, measurement, and audience, the opportunity is clear: faster, always-on campaign execution," added Deichert. "The missing piece is creative. Bridging that gap, without losing the human spark, is what will define the next era of advertising."

The "Review Tax" Slows Efficiency Gains
While AI promises significant time savings, the report finds that those gains are often offset by the need for human review. A majority of respondents report dedicating substantial time to validating AI outputs, with 74% reporting several hours a week are spent reviewing AI-generated work.

This "review tax" reflects a broader lack of trust in AI outputs, with concerns ranging from technical inaccuracies to brand safety risks and inconsistent creative quality.

Bridging the Gap Between Automation and Trust
The findings point to a broader industry standoff: organizations recognize AI's potential but remain cautious about relinquishing control. The path forward, according to TripleLift, lies in building systems that better integrate AI across all campaign pillars, while maintaining the human oversight necessary to ensure quality and brand integrity. Designed specifically to address these challenges, TripleLift's coordinated intelligence layer TL Spark helps advertisers unify fragmented campaign workflows, apply AI more effectively across decision-making and maintain transparency and control throughout the process.

As the industry moves forward, success will depend on striking the right balance: empowering AI to handle data-driven complexity while preserving human creativity and judgment where it matters most.

About TripleLift
TripleLift is the Creative SSP powered by TL Spark, our agentic intelligence layer. We orchestrate creative, supply, audience, and measurement into a single outcome-driven system across the open internet, retail media, and CTV. Our platform enables brands to drive measurable performance while helping publishers maximize yield and preserve high-quality user experiences. Learn more at www.triplelift.com.

SOURCE TRIPLELIFT