When AI becomes the shopper, who gets the ads?

Artificial intelligence is fundamentally reshaping the advertising supply chain, moving beyond simple content generation toward an agentic model where specialized AI systems collaborate to produce high-quality, brand-specific output. WPP’s chief AI officer Daniel Hulme highlights that synthetic audiences now enable marketers to simulate human perception at a behavioral level, replacing outdated demographic proxies. As AI agents evolve to make purchasing decisions on behalf of consumers, brands must prioritize emotional resonance and relevance over traditional search engine optimization. Success in this new landscape depends on proprietary data, foundational model access, and top-tier talent. Furthermore, safety and ethics in this domain require a focus on intent, explainability, and rigorous testing to mitigate the risks of autonomous systems overachieving their goals in ways that could disrupt business operations.