A new Interactive Advertising Bureau study reveals how marketers are using AI.
The State of Data 2025 from IAB and OneTrust takes a close look at how AI is (and isn’t) being used across media campaigns today.
Based on responses from 500+ brand, agency, and publisher leaders, the report finds that while AI can now support full-funnel media execution, 70% of marketers haven’t yet scaled it across planning, activation, and analysis.
Adoption is Early but Growing Fast
- 70% haven’t fully scaled AI yet; agencies/publishers lead, brands lag (resource/cost issues).
- Half of non-scaled orgs expect full AI rollout by 2026
AI Tools & Use Cases
- Most use general AI tools (ChatGPT, Gemini) or features in existing platforms.
- Agencies: Use AI for audience segmentation, predictive bidding, synthetic data.
- Brands: Focus on audience insights, anomaly detection, workflow automation.
- Publishers: Use AI for inventory/audience analysis, automated reporting/recs.
Perceptions of AI Performance
- Strong satisfaction for efficiency, time/resource/cost savings (>70% satisfied).
- AI best at segmentation, targeting, data aggregation, not strategic or creative tasks.
Main Obstacles
- Key barriers: Data quality, security, lack of expertise, tool fragmentation, regulations.
- Job security is a lesser concern; integration/readiness is the main focus.
Differences by Company Type
- Agencies: Face internal/external resistance.
- Brands/Publishers: Struggle with vision, integration, and technical/ethical issues.
- Trust gap: Brands wary of agency/publisher AI use; agencies fear brands using AI in-house.
Governance and Standards Lagging
- Fewer than 50% have AI strategies, clear use cases, or KPIs.
- Only ~20% use AI governance boards/clauses.
- Top standard needs: Data privacy, accuracy, transparency.
The report outlines five action areas for agencies, brands, and publishers:
- Develop a Phased AI Integration Roadmap: Map out AI use cases, plan integration milestones, and select tools/platforms supporting scalability.
- Ensure Data Readiness: Prioritise data quality, security, and governance; use audits, protocols, and privacy-preserving techniques like synthetic data.
- Implement Organisation-Wide Training: Tailor AI training by role, create prompt libraries/best practice guides, hire outside experts, and build a culture of responsible experimentation.
- Strengthen Industry Collaboration and Standards: Advocate and adopt standards for privacy, accuracy, transparency, interoperability, and ethics; build trust through clear reporting and KPIs.
- Prioritise Strategic Use Cases: Focus on AI-powered scenario planning, cross-channel activation, and advanced analytics and attribution to optimise marketing impact.
About the Podcast Host
Joanne Sweeney is a specialist in public-sector marketing and digital communications. She’s the author of Public Sector Marketing Pro and the creator of the Professional Diploma in AI for Public Sector Marketing. With years of experience in training, consulting, and advocating for digital transformation, Joanne provides insight and guidance for government agencies navigating the digital landscape. She is also the host of the award-winning Public Sector Marketing Show podcast.
