A lack of junior talent and CMOs' anxiety over ROI on AI spend are among the hottest topics in adland, according to a panel of editors representing five of Campaign's key markets globally.Speaking at Campaign House in Cannes this week, Maisie McCabe, editor of Campaign UK, Nikita Mishra, editor, Campaign Asia-Pacific, Jameson Fleming, editorial director, Campaign US and MM&M, Chris Powell, joint editor, Campaign Canada, and Vinita Bhatia, editor, Campaign India, gathered to identify the topics that would make top stories, those that would get general coverage and those they’d “have to think about”.While there was no unanimity among the answers and trends from the editors, several key themes emerged throughout the “Meet the editors” discussion, which was moderated by Gideon Spanier, UK editor-in-chief.The lack of junior talent in adland was put forward by Fleming, who said: “At some point, that's going to catch up to everybody.”Though the degree of coverage varied by region, all of the editors agreed that the lack of junior talent was “news bulletin-worthy” and an issue rife across all geographies.AI’s impact on adland, how it means networks and agencies are having to “rethink” everything from how they are paid to data security, Fleming said, is also a consistent theme in the US.Mishra added that, across Asia-Pacific, CMOs are “beginning to get anxious on the return of investment on the massive AI spend” and are concerned about whether or not it's going to turn out to be a “giant bubble”. All editors agreed that tensions around AI are a theme across their markets, although with different nuances. In the UK, for example, McCabe talked about the response some media planners are having to the rise in AI in their jobs, noting the founding of the Media Planning Group, which aims to champion the art and craft of planning.Accountability also emerged as a theme across all markets, both in creative and in media spend.In India, Bhatia noted: “Marketing itself is evolving from amplification of campaigns to accountability, and they [CMOs] hold their agency partners accountable for the kind of work and campaigns that they put out.” Similarly, in Canada, Powell noted pockets of media buyers and others in charge of spend “taking a stand against” the Meta/Google duopoly.In the UK, following the planned social media ban for under-16s, there is a growing discourse about the safety of social media, and advertising’s role in funding those platforms. McCabe added: “A lot of people actually think [a social media ban is] the wrong answer, and the answer is to make the platform safer for everybody.”Here are each Campaign editors’ top three topics for their region:IndiaVinita Bhatia, editor, Campaign IndiaMore emphasis on localised work over “flashy marquee-type” campaigns Marketing is moving from amplification to accountabilityThe emergence of independent agenciesUSJameson Fleming, editorial director, Campaign US and MM&MAgencies are increasingly thinking about business KPIs and not just marketing KPIsAdland is having to rethink everything because of AIThe lack of junior talent in adlandAsia-PacificNikita Mishra, editor, Campaign Asia-PacificLivestreaming at scale – and concerns about how it is flouting regulatory normsRise of the closed-loop super apps such as WeChat, Xiaohongshu and GrabCMOs’ growing anxiety around ROI of big AI spend CanadaChris Powell, joint editor, Campaign CanadaA strong “made in Canada” sentiment among agencies and brandsInterest in conscious media investment and moving spend away from Meta and GoogleA lot of activity around experiential marketing versus brands using traditional media dollarsUKMaisie McCabe, editor of Campaign UKMove towards a safer digital media ecosystem, the social media ban for under-16s and where that’s going to goIs taste an objective truth? Movement around comms planning to give media planners top level thinkingA year ago, at Campaign House, editors said scrutiny over media trading was going to be a key issue to watch in the next year.This story first appeared on Campaign UK.