AI, transparency and talent reshape media agency priorities
Artificial intelligence is moving into media agencies’ planning, buying, measurement and creative work, but its adoption is raising questions about cost, human oversight and the value delivered to clients. Those tensions ran through the fall 2026 Digiday Media Buying Summit, where agency and brand executives also addressed principal media, creator partnerships, retail media and outcome-based agreements.
The discussions pointed to a sector trying to capture efficiency without weakening expertise or client trust. AI tools can accelerate work and help teams interpret large volumes of information, but speakers cautioned against treating automation as a substitute for judgment. The challenge for agencies is increasingly operational: deciding which tasks technology should handle, how to account for its costs and how to redesign teams around it.
Human judgment remains central to AI adoption
M+C Saatchi CEO Nadja Bellan-White urged agency leaders to balance technology with human skills. She described AI as a useful sparring partner, while emphasizing that people must make decisions. She also warned that efficiency pressures could leave junior staff with fewer opportunities to learn foundational skills by working through briefs themselves.
Monks’ Gila Wilensky, executive vice president and head of data and media for North America, said AI cannot take risks or provide creativity in the way people can. Her comments framed staffing as an active design question: agencies need to determine how new capabilities fit into client-facing teams and preserve work that depends on strategic thinking, experimentation and creative judgment. Wilensky raised the possibility that dedicated AI-checking roles could emerge, comparing the need for review to fact-checking.
Cost control was another concern. Christina Riccitelli of OpAd Media and Tony Russo of Mile Marker discussed the need to understand the operating expense of AI systems and agentic tools, rather than focus only on productivity gains. Russo said the earlier push to adopt AI “at all costs” was giving way to closer scrutiny of spending. Riccitelli said agencies are still working out how to package and potentially monetize internal AI work, while pointing to transparency about the tools used as an important longer-term goal.
Go Fish Digital president David Dweck addressed the limits of agentic media planning and buying. He questioned the prospects for platforms built to sit on top of major services such as Meta or Google, and described an effort to reduce layers in the demand-side platform and supply chain. The broader discussion underscored that agencies must decide where agents can act effectively and where control should remain with people.
Trust, transparency and clearer client agreements
Principal media—where agencies buy and sell inventory for clients—remains contentious. Crossmedia CEO Kamran Asghar argued against the practice, saying it puts agencies on both sides of an investment decision and challenges the meaning of agency independence. Forrester vice president and senior agency analyst Jay Pattisall argued that principal media is likely to persist among agencies with the scale to manage it, provided clients receive sufficient transparency. In the event’s audience vote, 72% opposed principal media.
Transparency also featured in a session with Underdog’s Devin Bellamy and Eden Collective founder and CEO Alison Monk. Monk said her agency emphasized transparency and deemphasized buying so clients could have confidence in its advice about where and how much to spend. The conversation reflected wider concerns about hidden fees, platform-reported metrics and opaque attribution complicating media decisions.
Outcome-based agency relationships offer one possible response to pressure on traditional business models, but they require agreement on what success means. CourtAvenue Media chief strategy officer Morgan Scarnato described a layered approach that includes business outcomes, brand awareness, brand equity and sales. She noted that these measures do not always connect one-to-one, making shared definitions and expectations essential.
Creators and retail media demand broader thinking
Creator partnerships are expanding, while questions about authenticity and fit are becoming more pronounced. Open Influence’s Alex Mathieu said brands should look beyond basic brand-safety checks and work with creators who make sense for the brand, including people who have already discussed or experienced it. The discussion stressed that scale and performance do not automatically produce a credible connection with audiences.
Retail media’s crowded market was another focus. Dentsu head of commerce Aisha Khan said consolidation is likely, but saw continued growth opportunities, including in-store media. She argued that retail media should not be confined to performance marketing: shopper experiences also need strong creative. Khan also pointed to closed-loop measurement as a way to connect upper- and lower-funnel activity.
Across the summit’s discussions, a consistent management issue emerged: agencies need clearer communication with clients and stronger definitions of responsibilities, costs and outcomes. AI may compress timelines and expand what teams can produce, but the sessions did not present it as a solution to those relationship challenges. Instead, speakers emphasized pairing efficiency with oversight, expertise and transparent working arrangements.
