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Share on XCES 2026 made one thing clear: performance is no longer separable from quality
As AI accelerates buying, optimization, and placement across apps, sites, and platforms, the industry is moving beyond baseline protection toward a more demanding standard — complete media performance. One where transparency, suitability, and measurement aren’t safeguards, but core drivers of ROI.
Across C Space conversations, partner sessions, and on-the-ground discussions with brands and agencies, a consistent theme emerged: in an AI-powered ecosystem, what you can’t see, you can’t optimize — and what you can’t optimize, you can’t scale with confidence.
That reality shaped the most important takeaways from CES 2026. Not flashy demos. Not speculative futures. But real conversations about how brands are actually operating, and where performance is starting to break down.
AI has Moved from Awe to Accountability
“[IAS’s classification] is all automated — about 97-98% of things like auto-labeling, identifying appropriate and inappropriate content. What’s that doing? It’s fueling accuracy. Our tech is highly accurate, and fueling innovation and velocity, so that again, the brands can drive higher performance with their investments.” – Lisa Utzschneider, CEO, IAS
For the first time, the dominant AI question at CES wasn’t what’s possible—it was what’s provable. In a high-impact conversation, IAS CEO Lisa Utzschneider and David Kaufman (Head of Product and Client Solutions for North America, TikTok) sat down with James Kotecki to address AI-powered optimization. The takeaway was refreshingly direct: AI doesn’t drive ROI on its own. Visibility does.
The brands pulling ahead are using AI to enhance decision-making, not replace it. And that distinction matters more in 2026 than ever before.
Measurement isn’t a Problem. Operationalizing it is.
At the C Space Studio, discussions quickly moved past buzzwords and into a harder truth: measurement capabilities are evolving faster than most organizations can actually use them.
“There’s no point in measurement that provides yesterday’s weather report. What you really want to understand is how to influence things proactively.” – Srishti Gupta, CPO, IAS
IAS Chief Product Officer, Srishti Gupta, and Scott Lichtenthal (SVP, Advanced Analytics Products, Mastercard) explored how media quality data and commerce signals are finally coming together. The real friction isn’t technical; it’s structural.
IAS Executive Vice President of Global Revenue, Carrie Seifer, joined Lisa Giacosa (Chief Transformation Officer and Groupe Client Lead – Global, Spark Foundry) to share an honest look at maintaining control in an automated world.
Brands have more signals than ever. What they lack is a clear way to connect media quality to real-world outcomes without surrendering control to automation. Closing that gap between insight and action is where performance will be won or lost.
Automation is Outpacing How We Lead
Not every important CES conversation focused on the tech stack. Some focused on the people expected to manage it.
During the C Space Storytellers session, IAS COO Marc Grabowski moderated a powerhouse panel with Jim Squires (EVP, Business Marketing & Growth Reddit), Joe Olsen (CEO, Vector), Khurrum Malik (VP of Business and Product Marketing, Walmart), and Nili Klenoff (EVP, Commerce Media & Innovation, Mastercard Commerce Media). They unpacked how AI-powered search is redefining retail and consumer discovery.
Carrie Seifer also moderated a Brand Innovators panel featuring Sean Boyle (SVP, Strategy & Planning, Starz), Molly Finnerty (Chief Investment Officer, Zenith) Inna Kern (VP, Media Strategy and Planning, ESPN), Noelle Perez (Head of Media, Samsung Electronics America) where they tackled how brands navigate the intersection of culture and technology.
As AI-driven systems become more complex and less predictable, the strongest leaders aren’t promising certainty. They’re building teams, processes, and cultures designed to adapt when certainty disappears.
That ability, to operate confidently in ambiguity, may be the most underrated competitive advantage in advertising right now.
Looking Ahead
CES 2026 didn’t introduce a brand-new playbook. It confirmed that the old one is no longer enough.
The industry is moving:
- From protection to performance
- From automation to accountability
- From assumptions to proof
At IAS, that shift continues to guide how we build, so media investment doesn’t just stay safe, but performs in environments that are faster, more automated, and less forgiving than ever before.
We’re excited to continue these important conversations throughout the year. Stay tuned for more insights and events from IAS as we drive the industry forward.
