Forecasts should always be treated with caution, but this one has a certain empirical basis from the last five years. Gartner predicts that artificial intelligence will eventually take over 70 percent of operational tasks in media planning. And this will happen within the next two years. This aligns with our editorial team’s observation that virtually everyone involved in media planning is currently investing heavily in AI and transforming planners into strategists. The bad news: The market doesn’t need that many strategists.
According to Gartner, artificial intelligence is developing into the central driving force of the digital advertising market. The market researchers predict that by 2028, more than 70 percent of advertising spending worldwide – and even over 80 percent in the US – will be conducted via self-service advertising platforms, where AI will have a significant impact on media planning, bidding strategies, and campaign results.
The background to this is the increasing automation of large advertising platforms such as Google Ads, Meta Ads, and Amazon Ads. AI is taking over more and more tasks that were previously managed manually by media buyers. These include, among other things, target group targeting, budget allocation, bid optimization, and the selection of suitable advertising materials. According to Gartner, this leads to more efficient campaigns, but at the same time requires advertisers to rethink their approach: Instead of optimizing individual campaign parameters, marketing managers should focus more on the selection of platforms, the quality of their data, and independent performance measurement.
Analysts warn that increasing automation could make advertisers more dependent on platform operators. If the same companies both run campaigns and evaluate their success, the importance of independent measurement providers increases. Gartner therefore recommends that companies expand their own first-party data and not leave performance evaluation solely to the platforms.
The forecast underscores a fundamental shift in digital marketing: AI is no longer solely used for creating advertising materials, but is increasingly taking over operational decisions in media buying. For agencies and marketing departments, this shifts the focus from manual campaign management to strategy, data quality, and the control of automated systems.
