As anyone in Cannes last month will know, the buzz around AI has recently taken on a new dimension. Where Generative AI was previously the main subset under discussion, Agentic AI is increasingly entering the conversation. And it is this type of technology that appears set to redefine adtech.

Agentic AI refers to systems that can operate independently – making decisions, initiating action and pursuing outcomes-based behaviour – often with limited human supervision.

AI agents are autonomous, adaptable and able to collaborate with other systems. That means they are the AI most of us are likely to engage with most often in the coming years: the system that controls your smart home, streamlines your day or monitors and manages your health. 

Agentic AI puts consumers in control

In advertising, the possibilities of agentic AI are huge – think real-time, autonomous campaign management, hyper-personalisation at scale, brand agents, and strategy and insight generation.

But the real significance of agentic AI for advertising may well be on the consumer side of the equation. The future of digital engagement is shifting. For years, ads and affiliate recommendations have been optimised for brands, not individuals. Algorithms track users, push products, and flood feeds with retargeting. And people are tired of it.

The next era won’t be about shouting louder or spending more. Instead, personal AI agents will take control on behalf of users – filtering ads, curating offers and deciding what gets through based on user preferences. The most important relationship won’t be between brands and consumers anymore – it will be between individuals and their AI agents.

This will mean 1. personalised, intent-driven advertising, instead of mass-market targeting; 2. AI-curated affiliate placements, where trusted agents pick winners; and 3. a push-to-pull transformation, where users actively request value, rather than passively receiving it.

Brands who adapt – building transparent, high-quality offerings that earn AI agents’ trust – will get their messages through to consumers. Meanwhile, those who rely on traditional ad bombardment will be left behind. 

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But rocket ships aren’t compatible with carrier pigeons

We believe agentic AI is going to be transformative. But as we look to an AI-driven, laser-fast future in terms of the technology being used to reach consumers, it is hard to ignore the fact that critical elements of the adtech ecosystem’s underlying infrastructure – such as its antiquated payment methods – could do with a future-proof transformation of their own.

To put it another way, we need to be careful that we are not building a rocket ship for ad delivery, creativity and AI, while using a carrier pigeon behind the scenes for supply chain payment and business opportunities.

The industry’s payment processes underpin the business, now and in tomorrow’s AI-driven world. But the adtech supply chain is long and complicated, with brands at the top, agencies, DSPs and SSPs in the middle, and publishers and content creators at the bottom.

Each link in that chain introduces a delay in payments, and since brands and agencies tend to hold onto funds for as long as possible, those at the bottom get squeezed the hardest. It is not uncommon to see small, valuable players waiting 90 or 120 days to be paid for their contribution to the advertising lifecycle.

Overcoming the adtech payment challenge with data and AI

When businesses struggle with cash flow, they can’t scale their operations, invest in marketing, or pay their own suppliers on time. That creates a domino effect that stifles growth across the entire advertising industry – even if AI is turbo-charging processes elsewhere.

But here, too, there are transformative technologies available. Using a data-driven adtech finance platform, businesses can receive their sales revenue as soon as it’s earned, rather than waiting weeks or months. Real-time transaction data enables the advancement of payments before an invoice is even raised. This model is based on transparency, automation, and flexibility – helping businesses get paid faster without taking on debt or navigating lengthy approval processes. 

Naturally, we welcome tools such as agentic AI, which promise to deliver digital marketing into a new, more effective and efficient age. And as it does, we are confident that the same kind of automation will permeate the business at all levels, ensuring that those who are striving to scale operations at speed will receive their own rewards at a similar pace.

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