When Robots Buy Media: Future Maps the Agentic AI Shift in Programmatic
CANNES, France — The robots are coming for the media buyers – and the sellers, too.
Agentic ad buying and selling represents “one of the biggest things” to hit programmatic advertising in the past 15 years, according to one senior publishing executive. The shift could alter how digital advertising is traded, potentially eliminating the benefits of economies of scale that have defined the industry for decades.
“When we have agents in the workflow, you remove the benefits of economies of scale,” said Kai Hsing, global vp of programmatic, yield and operations at Future plc, in this video interview with Beet.TV at Cannes Lions 2026. “There are so many intermediaries, there’s so many services that benefit from that, but perhaps they don’t exist.”
Democratization or consolidation?
The implications of agent-driven trading remain uncertain, Hsing acknowledged, but he sees two potential outcomes.
- One resembles the music industry’s digital transformation, where technology democratized distribution and access.
- The other is less optimistic. “Perhaps that leads us into a case of not dissimilar from the music industry where you democratize things. That would be fantastic,” Hsing said. “There is a risk that power consolidates and hopefully that doesn’t happen.”
The industry is already moving to formalize agentic advertising workflows. IAB Tech Lab is developing frameworks including ARTF, Agentic Audiences, and Agentic Advertising Management Protocols to make agent-to-agent transactions interoperable. According to IAB’s 2026 Outlook Study, 96% of buyers are now aware of agentic AI ad buying, with roughly two-thirds focusing on it for campaign execution.
High-intent audiences at the point of decision
Future operates more than 170 specialist media brands, including Tom’s Guide, Kiplinger’s, and century-old titles like Horse & Hound. Hsing argued this portfolio positions the publisher advantageously as AI reshapes how advertising is bought and sold.
“We are able to influence people at the point of decision,” Hsing said. “I am on, say, Kiplinger’s, and I’m deciding which mutual funds to invest in. They will come to us at that point of finally making that decision.”
That high-intent positioning matters increasingly as U.S. programmatic ad spending tops $200 billion in 2026, according to Emarketer, representing approximately 92.6% of total display ad spend. The market is shifting from open-scale buying toward programmatic direct, private marketplaces, and outcome-based measurement.
New AI tools for audience intelligence
Future launched Helix, its audience intelligence engine, in March 2026. The product uses predictive AI and first-party data to optimize campaign performance at granular levels.
“We have employed agents who will look at past campaign performance based on that at an extremely granular level, understand the optimal combination of factors basically to help provide advertising performance,” Hsing said. Early tests across 20 campaigns reportedly produced double-digit click-through rate increases and improved return on ad spend.
The company is also leveraging its content authority in AI-driven discovery environments. “One thing we have found is the fact that we have authority, the fact that we have heritage means we are often one of the most cited, if not the most cited sites in various LLMs,” Hsing said. “We are loaning that authority to our clients to help them manage their narratives.”
CANNES, France — The robots are coming for the media buyers – and the sellers, too.
Agentic ad buying and selling represents “one of the biggest things” to hit programmatic advertising in the past 15 years, according to one senior publishing executive. The shift could alter how digital advertising is traded, potentially eliminating the benefits of economies of scale that have defined the industry for decades.
“When we have agents in the workflow, you remove the benefits of economies of scale,” said Kai Hsing, global vp of programmatic, yield and operations at Future plc, in this video interview with Beet.TV at Cannes Lions 2026. “There are so many intermediaries, there’s so many services that benefit from that, but perhaps they don’t exist.”
Democratization or consolidation?
The implications of agent-driven trading remain uncertain, Hsing acknowledged, but he sees two potential outcomes.
- One resembles the music industry’s digital transformation, where technology democratized distribution and access.
- The other is less optimistic. “Perhaps that leads us into a case of not dissimilar from the music industry where you democratize things. That would be fantastic,” Hsing said. “There is a risk that power consolidates and hopefully that doesn’t happen.”
The industry is already moving to formalize agentic advertising workflows. IAB Tech Lab is developing frameworks including ARTF, Agentic Audiences, and Agentic Advertising Management Protocols to make agent-to-agent transactions interoperable. According to IAB’s 2026 Outlook Study, 96% of buyers are now aware of agentic AI ad buying, with roughly two-thirds focusing on it for campaign execution.
High-intent audiences at the point of decision
Future operates more than 170 specialist media brands, including Tom’s Guide, Kiplinger’s, and century-old titles like Horse & Hound. Hsing argued this portfolio positions the publisher advantageously as AI reshapes how advertising is bought and sold.
“We are able to influence people at the point of decision,” Hsing said. “I am on, say, Kiplinger’s, and I’m deciding which mutual funds to invest in. They will come to us at that point of finally making that decision.”
That high-intent positioning matters increasingly as U.S. programmatic ad spending tops $200 billion in 2026, according to Emarketer, representing approximately 92.6% of total display ad spend. The market is shifting from open-scale buying toward programmatic direct, private marketplaces, and outcome-based measurement.
New AI tools for audience intelligence
Future launched Helix, its audience intelligence engine, in March 2026. The product uses predictive AI and first-party data to optimize campaign performance at granular levels.
“We have employed agents who will look at past campaign performance based on that at an extremely granular level, understand the optimal combination of factors basically to help provide advertising performance,” Hsing said. Early tests across 20 campaigns reportedly produced double-digit click-through rate increases and improved return on ad spend.
The company is also leveraging its content authority in AI-driven discovery environments. “One thing we have found is the fact that we have authority, the fact that we have heritage means we are often one of the most cited, if not the most cited sites in various LLMs,” Hsing said. “We are loaning that authority to our clients to help them manage their narratives.”
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