By: Jill Reisinger, VP of Agency Partnerships
CES is widely recognized across the industry as a post-New Year’s reset button. It pulls advertising executives out of holiday mode and right back into decision-making, pressure, and possibility.
The real goal isn’t to be the loudest voice in the room (or at the Chandelier Bar at The Cosmo). It’s to make sure what you’re saying matters.
Yes, this year was dominated by AI. LLMs were everywhere. ‘Agentic’ quickly became the word of the week. Commerce and retail media also had their moments in the spotlight.
But from my vantage point, the most meaningful conversations were not about the technology itself. They were about how brands, agencies, and adtech leaders are bringing intention, control, and humanity back into the system as everything automates.
This was especially prevalent during an event held in our Yieldmo Executive Suite, where I had the chance to sit with agency leaders and CMOs from major brands. Once we moved on from the niceties, the conversations shifted quickly from hype around AI to the reality of implementation and perception. What I heard was consistent, candid, and telling.
Here’s what stayed with me and what I think matters most for agencies and marketers heading into this year.
AI Is Now Assumed. Effectiveness Is the Real Question.
There was no shortage of AI conversations at CES. But what stood out was how little interest there was in AI as a novelty. Brands were not asking how to replace people. They were asking how to make their media activations more effective.
The focus was on automation, speed, and smarter optimization. Marketers want to personalize at scale, build more effective measurement, and operate both their time and budget more efficiently.
The underlying message was clear. AI should create opportunities for strategy and creativity, not replace them. The most compelling solutions were the ones that used AI to remove friction, reduce waste, and improve decision-making while keeping humans accountable for the outcomes.
This mirrors what I see every day at Yieldmo. When AI is paired with transparency and control, it becomes a performance lever rather than a black box.
Agentic Solutions Are Coming, But With Guardrails
Agentic solutions came up in nearly every agency conversation. HoldCos are clearly investing in systems that can autonomously plan, execute, and optimize media across platforms.
What was notable was the tone. This was not blind enthusiasm. It was measured and intentional.
The goal is that coordinated AI agents embed strategy, creative, data, and measurement into a single workflow. But every discussion returned to governance. Human oversight is non-negotiable. Strategy, brand safety, and accountability still require people at the core.
Autonomy is increasing, but trust is still earned. The platforms that succeed here will be the ones that expose the system rather than obscure it. That principle showed up repeatedly in conversations, and it is one we deeply believe in as Yieldmo’s YMax platform continues to evolve.
LLMs Are Becoming Foundational Infrastructure
Another strong signal from CES was how seriously agencies are taking LLM ownership.
Major HoldCos are building their own LLMs to ensure secure, compliant access to AI-powered capabilities. These models are viewed as foundational infrastructure for generating insights, enabling personalization, and driving more intelligent automation.
But again, governance was central. Agencies want the ability to use LLMs smarter, with built-in safety, transparency, and human control. The excitement is real, but it is grounded in responsibility.
Commerce and Retail Media Are Promising, Though Still Early
Commerce and retail solutions had a strong presence at CES, largely driven by data owners identifying monetization paths.
The value is clear. Transactional data and closed-loop measurement are incredibly compelling. However, many of these solutions are still at an early stage. The same questions surfaced repeatedly:
- How do these offerings extend off-platform?
- How does creative pair with commerce data in a way that actually resonates?
- How do AI-modeled audiences scale without losing signal quality?
There is real opportunity here. The solutions that win will be the ones that connect creative, data, and media into a cohesive experience rather than treating them as separate layers.
Talent and Tentpole Moments Still Matter, Especially With Tight Budgets
One of the most consistent themes I heard had nothing to do with algorithms but on real talent and cultural moments, because even with emerging technologies in the new world of AI, human experience is still foundational to marketing.
Athletes, leagues, creators, and cultural tentpoles continue to matter. What has changed is the pressure to prove impact with smaller, more scrutinized budgets. Brands want digital media to complement their talent investments, not compete with them.
This came up repeatedly in conversations with sports-focused marketers. The question was not how to spend more, but how to extend the value of sponsorships and moments in a measurable, efficient way.
This is where contextual alignment and creative relevance really show their power. When you can surround the moments people already care about and tailor the message to that environment, digital becomes a multiplier for talent investments. That philosophy sits at the core of how we think about Yieldmo Sports and how platforms like YMax can support these moments without unnecessary complexity or cost.
My Real CES Takeaway: Humanity must always be at the foundation of emerging technologies.
If I had to summarize CES in one thought, it would be that the industry has moved past debating whether AI belongs in advertising. The focus now is on how to use it responsibly, transparently, and in service of better outcomes.
No one I spoke with believes humans are being replaced, though the jokes are there. What is disappearing is tolerance for inefficiency, black-box systems, and wasted spend.
The future is faster and more automated, but it still depends on human judgment, creative instinct, and accountability. The companies and partners that strike that balance will define what comes next.
