Earlier this year, Comcast spun off a bunch of its cable TV networks into a new company called Versant. On Thursday, it reported on how it did during its first quarter as a standalone company — better than expected, but not great. Advertising revenue fell by 5%, thanks to falling ratings. Traditional television, which used to be the jewel in the crown of any media company, is increasingly taking a back seat to digital platforms where advertising can be targeted a whole lot better. But proponents of a new technology called agentic AI ad buying said it can bridge that gap.Agentic AI was all the rage this week at the upfronts, the annual gathering where media companies show off their upcoming programming to advertisers.The upfronts started in the 1960s, and the way television networks sell advertising hasn’t really changed since then, said Tim Hanlon, CEO of the media consulting firm Vertere Group.“They bring in talent and stars and and sort of wax optimistic about the great shows and content that they have, and you'd be a fool not to buy in bulk our advertising opportunities,” he said.This year’s upfronts included an actual song and dance routine from NBCUniversal featuring Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers. Then executives close deals with advertisers at cocktail parties and steak dinners.“Vibes, schmoozing, that kind of stuff,” Hanlon said.Networks typically sell almost all of their inventory for specific programs at specific times — upfront.Compare that to online ads, which are constantly shuffling and adjusting in real time based on who’s looking and what’s working. That’s called programmatic advertising, said Alan Wolk, founder of the media analyst group TVREV.“It's sort of done by an automated system where… it says, okay, if these factors are met, bid this much money,” he said.NBCUniversal, Warner Brothers, Fox, and other traditional television companies are now trying out that automation, using AI agents to buy and sell ads in a more responsive way so campaigns can adjust based on what’s on the screen.“Sherwin Williams paint would want to run during Property Brothers, because they’re painting the walls and, boom, here’s paint,” Wolk said. “Hey, did they just score a touchdown? Well, let’s run the commercial we did that says, ‘Hooray, 49ers, celebrate it at Domino’s,’ or whatever it is.”Networks are also trying to provide more timely data about whether an ad actually drives business, rather than just how many eyeballs see it. But that’s harder to do with a TV than a mobile device.