IAS launches AI-powered 'Agent' to automate real-time ad campaign optimization

The shift from reactive reporting to real-time, AI-guided optimization marks a critical pivot in ad verification. By automating manual data cross-referencing, IAS aims to close the latency gap between performance signals and strategic adjustments. This move pressures competitors like DoubleVerify to enhance their own automation as CTV and social ad fragmentation increase operational overhead. In an era of high-frequency trading and live event streaming, the ability to justify every AI-driven tweak with transparent logic is a necessary safeguard for multi-million-dollar video budgets. Watch for adoption rates among major holding companies to determine if AI 'co-pilots' become a baseline standard for programmatic accountability.

The launch of IAS Agent arrives as the advertising industry faces a significant surge in operational complexity. Per DoubleVerify’s 2025 Global Insights report, campaign managers now spend roughly 26% of their week—over 10 hours—on manual optimizations like budget reallocation and bid adjustments. This growing burden has spurred a 32% year-over-year increase in AI usage for campaign activation, as agencies seek to reclaim strategic bandwidth. The competitive landscape is responding in kind; DoubleVerify recently introduced DV AI Verification in late 2025 to help advertisers flag low-quality 'AI slop' and manage automated interactions.

Media quality itself remains volatile, particularly in high-growth areas like Connected TV (CTV). Analysis from July 2025 indicated that while CTV viewability rose to 16% in North America, the format also faced increased fraudulent bot activity from AI-powered crawlers. This fragmentation has made real-time signaling imperative. Per Index Exchange, January 2025, the industry is increasingly focused on establishing standardized protocols for live event advertising to handle the unpredictable ad breaks and concurrent viewership peaks of professional sports.

Furthermore, the ad tech stack is consolidating around 'explainable' and 'responsible' AI frameworks to satisfy enterprise governance requirements. IAS recently emphasized its compliance with TrustArc Responsible AI and ISO 42001 certifications as differentiators. As marketers pivot toward a cookieless environment in 2026, the reliance on first-party data and AI-driven contextual insights is expected to dominate, with some projections suggests that 80% of marketers will use AI for personalization by end-of-year. This underscores why IAS has positioned its automated agent as a free platform expansion rather than a premium upsell.