According to Cannes Lions president Phil Thomas, 40% of submissions will report the use of AI in 2026, up from 20% in 2025 and 11% in 2024. “All entries must state whether and how AI was used,” Phil said at a press conference announcing the Creative Data Lions and Media Lions winners. “I don’t know if 40% is a lot, but the change is certainly very noticeable.”
Campaign Asia learned from other judges that the use of AI in the creative or production process must be disclosed, even if it plays only a small role in shaping the final product.
For Anupriya Acharya, CEO of Publicis Groupe South Asia, the bigger issue is depth. “As we are surrounded by AI, we hope that the submissions will show more complex uses of AI,” Anupriya said. “I believe I can reach my full potential.” [of AI in creative work] is still underutilized, and AI-powered work has the potential to evolve even further. There has been very little use of advanced AI and data this year. ”
He added that while many creative data entries incorporate AI, they are often “not aimed at solving a clear problem.”
This year’s Cannes Lions saw a significant decrease in the total number of entries. Overall, the number of entries decreased by 25% in 2026, with entries in the creative data category plummeting by 50%, the largest decline of all categories.
Phil did not want to pinpoint a single cause for the decline, but pointed to new, stricter rules regarding evidence and substantiation. “It’s hard to pinpoint why. Some of the rules we’ve put in place have to do with substantiation of claims submitted. Those rules are very strictly enforced by us and by the jury, and the jury always asks: Can you prove this? Show me the evidence. It’s just a theory, but I think there’s a lot more to prove in a category like creative data compared to other categories, for example print.”
These stricter guidelines come in the wake of last year’s awards scandal, which led Cannes Lions to overhaul its application and verification process after a number of campaigns, including both shortlisted campaigns and winners, were withdrawn due to concerns about content manipulation, unverifiable claims and misuse of AI in case studies.
Aside from the awards, Phil said 13,000 delegates attended this year’s Cannes Lions, but the actual number of attendees on the Croisette was much higher, with many attending brand activations, beach programs and side events without having delegate passes at the Palais. The largest group to see an increase in both entries and award submissions was brand marketers.
The number of participating creators was approximately double that of 2025. Celebrities in attendance included “Call Her Daddy” host Alex Cooper, Feed Me founder Emily Sandberg, creator and makeup artist Cindy Chen, TikTok star Josh Richards, Goloria, Keith Lee, YouTubers Eleanor Neal, Colin and Samir, David Dobrik, and more.
Source: Campaign Asia Pacific
