Machine learning is emerging, alongside artificial intelligence, as one of the tech trends of 2017. But one advertising technology provider says earlier investments in the technology are now bearing fruit.

Asked about his company’s commitment to machine learning, AppNexus president Michael Rubenstein tells Beet.TV, in this video interview: “We’ve made deep, deep investments at AppNexus over a multi-year period in helping brands and traders to be able to unlock the full value of their data through a variety of means.

“Our optimisation technology has been something we’ve invested in for many, many years. We are excited to be seeing fantastic results, consistently, for brands using the platform.”

What is machine learning and how can it be used in ad targeting? Put simply, it’s the ability of computer algorithms – which, in advertising, are already used to automate ad trading – to continually learn from discovered data points, reinvesting those learnings in to future transactions for incrementally better effect.

Or, as AppNexus puts it:

“By creating a seamless feedback loop between a brand’s decisioning logic and its consumer touchpoints, AppNexus is combining data and machine learning to build campaigns that actually grow smarter over time. The result is hyper-personalization at scale, a world where marketers can deliver targeted ads to tens of millions of users, spread out across billions of interconnected devices, all over the world.”

AppNexus’ technology investment is such that it has seven open positions for engineers at time of writing.

“It’s going to continue to be one of the major areas for unlocking the true value of digital advertising in the years ahead,” Rubenstein adds.

This video is part of a series produced at the IAB Annual Leadership Meeting. Beet.TV’s coverage of this event is sponsored by Index Exchange. For more videos from this series, please visit this page.