For years, advertising has been all about reaching the right human at the right time. That premise, however, is shifting in an unexpected way.
Agentic AI has created new complexity, with autonomous “agents” that can increasingly evaluate, compare and execute decisions, from product research to actual purchases.
Human-to-agent isn’t an incremental change. It’s a structural upending, which has massive implications for advertising and ad tech.
Historically, non-human traffic was viewed somewhere on the spectrum from benign to intentional fraud. But AI agents acting on behalf of real consumers represent a legitimate, high-intent audience that brands will have to understand and engage. Brands need to be ready, structuring websites, content and advertising for a dual audience: people and the agents acting on their behalf.
The intermediary becomes the audience
