Executive Summary

In 2027, AI will take on a bigger role on both sides of the transaction. Consumers will talk to ads and let agents shop for them, while advertisers will use agents to buy media. That shift will raise new questions about privacy, payments, and who controls the AI market. At the same time, platforms and media owners are competing harder for attention and sales, and Gen Z’s path into adulthood is breaking old assumptions. Marketers will need to rethink how they reach, target, and convert consumers as the channels and assumptions they’ve relied on shift.

1. Ads that chat back will present the next test of relevance for marketers
2. Agentic ad marketplaces will compete to match buyer and seller agents
3. The great AI platform shakeout will begin
4. Commerce media will shift from inheriting attention to creating it
5. TikTok will keep more of the sales it inspires
6. YouTube’s split across TV, social media, and AI visibility will break down marketing silos
7. The Skydance merger will weaken content spending
8. As Gen Zers turn 30, marketers will rethink traditional life-stage targeting
9. AI will become an orchestration layer for complex consumer journeys
10. Personal AI agents and consumer privacy will collide
11. Payment providers will become the trust layer for agentic commerce