Publishers lead the pack in AI adoption for media campaigns

Key stat: Only 30% of ad industry professionals have fully-scaled AI across their media campaign cycles, according to January data from the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB).

Beyond the chart:

• Identifying/segmenting audiences is the top use case of AI for agencies and brands, while publishers are using AI for inventory prediction and forecasting, per IAB.
• The two biggest barriers to AI adoption for both buy- and sell-side parties are the complexity of setup/maintenance and data security risks, cited as a significant or critical concern by 62% of ad professionals.

Use this chart: Marketers should assess their AI maturity level relative to industry peers—especially if you're at a brand. Agencies and publishers are accelerating adoption, which means partners and competitors may already be using AI to optimize spend and performance.

Related EMARKETER reports:

• A Marketer’s Guide to AI Agents 2025 (EMARKETER subscription required)
• Generative AI Trends to Watch in 2025(EMARKETER subscription required)

Note: Data was provided to EMARKETER by Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB).

Methodology: Data is from the March 2025 Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) report titled "State of Data 2025: The Now, the Near, and the Next Evolution of AI for Media Campaigns" in partnership with BWG Strategy and Transparent Partners. 529 US ad industry respondents (buy-side and sell-side) were surveyed during November 18, 2024-January 13, 2025. Respondents include brands, agencies, and publishers.