Independent measurement is becoming marketers’ strongest defense as AI-powered self-serve platforms are projected to control more than 80% of U.S. ad spend by 2028, according to Gartner research.
The same automation will influence more than 70% of global ad spend by that year.
Gartner distinguishes this “back-office” AI—which determines who sees ads, what they cost, and how they are delivered—from the generative AI tools marketers use to create content.
Gartner advises CMOs to focus investment on the platforms most critical to reaching priority audiences, maintain a limited set of additional platforms for testing, and prioritize partners that offer transparency and allow outside evaluation.
Audio’s overall share of ad spend is projected to keep shrinking. WPP Media’s year-end forecast, reported by Radio Ink in December, expects it to fall from 4.48% in 2024 to 3.08% by 2030.
“AI is not merely helping marketers execute campaigns faster. Advertising platforms are using it to exert greater influence over how marketers reach their audiences, what they pay, and the outcomes they achieve,” Gartner VP Analyst Eric Schmitt told Radio Ink. “AI was expected to make advertising more efficient, but improved platform economics does not necessarily translate into lower costs for the advertiser.