This article provides a curated summary of key releases, research and themes shared at and around the IAB US Annual Leadership Meeting (ALM), prepared for the IAB Australia community. It draws on perspectives from IAB Canada, research and releases from IAB US, including the 2026 Outlook Study and State of Data 2026, as well as technical initiatives from IAB Tech Lab. Together, they outline where global priorities are heading and why they matter locally.
The consistent message from ALM was clear: AI is moving faster than the systems underneath it. The next phase of growth will depend not just on innovation, but on common standards, stronger measurement and practical coordination across the industry.
2026 Outlook: Growth with Structural Pressure
The 2026 Outlook Study projects stronger ad spend growth in the US market next year, supported by major cyclical events and continued digital expansion. Social media, CTV and commerce media are expected to lead growth, while digital channels continue to capture incremental investment. However, the study also highlights shifting marketer sentiment.
Customer acquisition remains a primary objective, but its dominance is easing as buyers rebalance toward repeat purchase and profitable growth. Media costs are rising. Pressure to demonstrate incrementality is intensifying. Cross-platform measurement remains a top concern.
Five of the top buyer focus areas centre on AI, with growing attention on agentic AI for media buying and optimisation. At the same time, understanding how to apply AI responsibly and effectively is cited as one of the industry’s biggest challenges.
Growth is projected. Confidence in systems is mixed. AI is advancing. Infrastructure is lagging.
AI Is No Longer a Channel Issue
As the IAB marks its 30th anniversary, newly appointed Chair Alison Levin (NBCUniversal) described 2026 as the beginning of the industry’s largest reinvention yet. Digital advertising has reinvented itself many times. Search, social, programmatic and connected TV each reshaped the market. AI is different. It runs across every function.
“This AI supercycle touches everything,” Levin told delegates. “Creative, media buying, measurement, activation. This is not a single department shift. It’s an industry-wide reinvention.”
Her concern was not innovation itself. It was fragmentation.
“We are all building faster cars for a track that does not exist yet. Our cars are nothing if we do not have a steady, well-built track to race them on.”
The “track” is shared infrastructure. Consistent definitions. Systems that work across platforms. Common measurement language. If marketers are increasingly focused on AI-led optimisation, that optimisation must sit on foundations everyone agrees on.
AI Is Reshaping Content Discovery and Trust
AI is becoming a primary interface for discovery, increasing the volume and frequency of machine-driven content access. As this happens, publishers and platforms are rethinking:
– How content is accessed by AI systems
– How trust, authority and provenance are signalled
– How brand information appears in AI-generated outputs
– How scalable systems can support diverse participants across the ecosystem
Trust is no longer just an editorial concern. It is part of the technical stack. Without consistent signals around authority and context, AI systems can blur reliable sources with outdated or incomplete material. As media investment grows in AI-enabled environments, marketers need confidence in where and how their brands appear.
State of Data 2026: Capability Is Improving, Confidence Is Mixed
Advanced measurement is widely adopted across the buy side. Yet 60 to 75 percent of users say these systems fall short on rigour, timeliness, trust and efficiency. Marketing mix models are seen as underrepresenting key digital channels. Cross-channel comparison remains difficult.
At the same time, buyers believe AI could materially improve advanced measurement within one to two years. More frequent modelling, improved incrementality testing and better integration of full-funnel data are all expected outcomes. The IAB Outlook Study reflects this sentiment. Buyers are increasing focus on incrementality measurement, attribution modelling and cross-platform comparison. They want automation, but they also want accountability.
That balance between speed and accountability is driving the major initiatives announced at ALM.
Project Eidos: Rebuilding Measurement Foundations
To address these systemic gaps, IAB US launched Project Eidos. The initiative aims to modernise advertising measurement by creating shared constructs and systems that work across channels and methodologies.
Its priorities include:
– Harmonising measurement definitions
– Connecting exposure to outcomes consistently
– Delivering cross-channel attribution and incrementality
– Modernising MMM with standardised, privacy-ready inputs
The goal is not to replace existing models, but to make sure they work together. As AI moves from experimentation to execution, inconsistency across systems becomes more visible and more consequential. For Australian marketers facing similar cross-channel challenges, this direction aligns closely with local priorities in our Future of Measurement initiative.
Agentic AI Requires Deterministic Standards
IAB Tech Lab’s focus on agentic AI added another layer. The Outlook Study shows nearly all buyers are aware of agentic AI for media buying, with many planning to explore it further. However, understanding how to apply it remains a major challenge.
Agentic systems can assist with planning, optimisation and performance analysis. But autonomy only works if everyone is working from the same definitions. When systems define core objects differently, AI cannot resolve ambiguity through judgement. It will execute based on whatever definition is embedded in its data. Tech Lab standards such as AdCOM, OpenRTB and related taxonomies provide this clarity. In an AI-enabled environment, standards support consistent execution rather than fragmentation at scale.
Read more on this in our local Agentic Advertising Initiative Explainer.
ECAPI: Aligning on Outcome Language
IAB Tech Lab also announced the Event and Conversion API, or ECAPI. Today, many platforms operate proprietary conversion APIs. ECAPI introduces a standardised framework for transmitting full-funnel marketing events across platforms and partners.
The benefits are practical:
– Reduced integration complexity
– Improved comparability
– Stronger support for AI-led outcome optimisation
– Greater consistency across partners
As performance scrutiny increases, a shared language for events becomes essential.
Creator Measurement: Investment Outpacing Infrastructure
The newly released report The As-Is Measurement Landscape in the Creator Economy highlights a structural gap in the fast-growing creator market.
Creator programs deliver influence and commerce impact. However:
– Cross-platform reach is rarely deduplicated
– Attribution is often skewed toward last-click signals
– Measurement relies heavily on platform-native metrics
– Pricing benchmarks lack normalisation
– Independent verification remains inconsistent
Measurement can demonstrate content performance with confidence, but often struggles to connect influence to finance-grade business outcomes. Unlocking larger budgets will require standardisation, incrementality testing, supply-path transparency and credible pricing benchmarks.
What All This Means for the Australian Advertising and Marketing Industry
Several clear implications emerge for Australia.
AI will highlight existing inconsistencies more quickly – as agentic workflows scale, gaps in definitions and cross-channel consistency will become more visible.
Measurement accountability will intensify – boards and finance teams will expect clearer comparisons across channels, including CTV, retail media and creators.
Standards compliance will become commercially important – systems that work smoothly across platforms will be central to efficient AI-enabled workflows and outcome optimisation.
Creator investment will require stronger financial frameworks – sustainable growth will depend on measurement reform, not narrative momentum alone.
Outcome-based optimisation depends on consistent event definitions – initiatives like ECAPI support this shift toward shared language.
Collaboration will determine progress. Innovation is not in short supply. Coordination is now the greater challenge.
For IAB Australia members, this is an opportunity to engage early, align local practices with emerging global standards, and ensure that as AI advances, our market’s foundations remain strong.