IAB UK

To wrap up yesterday’s AI Growth Summit, the afternoon sessions moved beyond AI as a productivity tool and into much bigger questions around creativity, responsibility, commerce and the future shape of the industry itself. Tom Goodwin challenged the room to rethink marketing from the ground up, arguing that AI should be an opportunity to aim higher, not simply do the same things faster and cheaper. His session explored what happens when we stop focusing on tools and start focusing on people, and whether AI could ultimately reshape commerce, creativity and the role of advertising itself. Nano Interactive’s Niall Moody and Rade Popovicć focused on the evolution of audience intelligence, demonstrating how intent-based planning and transparent AI systems are changing how marketers build and understand audiences in real time. One of the most important conversations of the day came from Zehra Chatoo, who explored the realities of bias in AI systems and why responsibility starts long before the prompt itself. Her session highlighted the risks of narrow participation in shaping AI, and the importance of trust, accountability and broader representation in the systems our industry increasingly relies on. From Google, Antony Hill examined the shift from the “attention economy” to the “intention economy”, arguing that agencies must rethink long-standing business models as AI becomes an active intermediary between consumers and brands. The discussion centred on balancing legacy structures with entirely new operating models designed for AI-mediated experiences. Juliana Ferraz Varela from Skin + Me then brought the conversation into day-to-day marketing operations, sharing how AI is already helping brands accelerate creative production while navigating authenticity, trust and internal adoption challenges. The day closed with a live recording of the AI Haven't a Clue podcast, where James Chandler, George Butler, Valentina Gonzalez and Andreea-Laura Petrescu explored how AI-generated fashion campaigns and virtual models are moving from experimentation into practical marketing applications. A few lines that stayed with us: “AI is the excuse to rethink and aim higher.” “If the table is narrow, the future will be too.” “Don’t get paid for the effort. Get paid for the outcomes your genius delivers.” Across every session, one theme kept emerging: the conversation around AI is becoming less about novelty and more about intentionality: how we build, who participates, what we optimise for and what kind of industry we want to create next. Thank you to all our speakers, partners and attendees for an incredible day.

Continuing the conversation from this morning’s sessions, the focus quickly shifted from AI experimentation to what meaningful adoption actually looks like. WPP's Daniel Hulme offered one of the strongest reminders of the day: most companies still aren’t really “doing AI”, they’re automating tasks, not building intelligence. In conversation with Meta's Shruti Dube, Nigel Vaz from Publicis Sapient explored what separates organisations genuinely scaling AI from those stuck in “pilot purgatory”, arguing that AI becomes a growth driver when connected to new workflows, services and ways of operating, not just productivity gains. Other standout sessions included Captify®'s Sam Coates and Emma Welch on how LLMs are reshaping the search journey and influencing consumer decision-making; Matt Sweet on the rise of AI-generated voice; and Chalice AI's Freddie Turner on why transparency, control and trust must become central to AI-powered advertising. A few lines that stuck with us: - “No one is AI-native.” - “The most important thing AI has not earned yet…is trust.” - “The future isn’t borrowed, it’s owned.” The conversation is clearly maturing. Less about hype and quick wins, more about infrastructure, governance, workflows and long-term competitive advantage. And with the afternoon sessions still ahead, it feels like the industry is only just starting to ask the right questions.

A few reflections from this morning’s AI Growth Summit: the biggest theme across every session was clear: AI is no longer a future trend, it’s a fundamental shift in how brands grow, create, compete and earn trust. Some standout takeaways so far: “The change will never be this slow again.” A powerful reminder from Ogilvy's Amelia Torode that the challenge now is not reacting to change, but learning how to make sense of it. In a world of acceleration, wisdom becomes a competitive advantage. “If you are not real time, you are history.” Wesley Haar, ter shared a compelling view of the post-agency era, where AI agents are reshaping workflows, collapsing production timelines and forcing marketers to rethink everything from operating models to creativity itself. "Trust may become the defining currency of the AI web." The Tripadvisor session from Ollie Presswell and Rachel Vardon really stood out here: consumers are increasingly comfortable using AI for decision-making, but concerns around misinformation and authenticity remain high. The platforms that win tomorrow may be the ones AI models trust today. "We’re moving from the attention economy to the era of usefulness." Tracey Pilon’s “race to zero UI” session highlighted a major shift: consumers moving from keywords to conversations, from clicks to delegated actions, and from interfaces to invisible AI-powered experiences. And, to wrap up the morning, a super interesting discussion came from Parmy Olson and alex kozloff on the broader AI race, touching on competition between OpenAI, Anthropic and Google, the economics behind AI, and the growing importance of accountability, trust and safety. Lots to process, lots to experiment with and it still feels like we’re only at the beginning. More thoughts to come.

Today, we’re proud to launch the UK’s first industry-backed Creator Qualification from IAB UK. As creator marketing becomes an increasingly central part of the media mix, the industry needs stronger standards, clearer understanding of advertising rules, and greater support for creators navigating commercial partnerships responsibly. That’s why we’ve developed a new qualification programme, hosted by Riyadh Khalaf and created as part of the EASA AdEthics programme with input from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The programme covers: - Advertising regulation and disclosure best practice - Platform policies and campaign planning - Contracts, measurement and professional standards - Long-term creator career development This qualification is designed to help creators build credibility, strengthen brand partnerships, and protect audience trust, while helping raise standards across the wider ecosystem. Get qualified today: https://lnkd.in/emzRVU3X

One of the most interesting things about the AI conversation right now is that the most valuable questions aren’t coming from the AI industry itself, they’re coming from everyone else. Ahead of our AI Growth Summit taking place this Thursday, James Chandler's column for The Media Leader UK reflects on a year of weekly conversations about AI through the lens of real listener questions, media moments and cultural shifts. It’s thoughtful, grounded and refreshingly honest about both the excitement and absurdity of where we are right now. Worth a read for anyone trying to make sense of how AI is actually changing work, creativity and everyday life, beyond the hype cycle. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/edHW9pK5

AI works best when it enhances human creativity, expertise and decision-making, not when it tries to replace them. We’re proud to share perspectives from industry leaders across the ecosystem in this latest piece from The Drum, exploring how AI can support better outcomes for brands, agencies and audiences alike. A huge thank you to Perion's William Brownsdon, TripleLift's Frazer Locke, Onetag's Emma Lacey, Index Exchange's John Tigg, Locala's Caroline Sajas, Captify®'s Baltej Singh and LoopMe's Ammar Jawad D. for sharing their insights. Read the full piece here: https://lnkd.in/ePp8Nvtj

95% of businesses in digital advertising are already using AI. Today, we’ve launched Powering Growth: a new whitepaper exploring how AI is already driving productivity, creativity and growth across the industry. The new research shows how AI could unlock an additional £12 billion in annual revenue for the UK digital advertising sector if the right conditions for innovation and investment are in place. Read the full whitepaper here: https://lnkd.in/eisHmMRC

Podcasting continues to evolve rapidly, from audio-first formats to video-led shows, changing audience behaviours, and new commercial models. This new research from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism explores how publishers are adapting to the next phase of podcasting, and we’re pleased to see James Chandler contributing to the conversation. A fascinating read for anyone working across media, publishing, advertising, and audio. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/dtt49e95

Brilliant to see such strong engagement at the first London edition of the Agentic AI Bootcamp with IAB Tech Lab - a great example of the industry coming together to shape the future of AI in advertising. Thanks, Hillary Slattery for joining us!

Well worth a listen!