Top priorities for 2026 include measuring media quality across social media and CTV, brand safety for influencer/creator content, and monitoring AI-generated content
new york, December 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Integral Ad Science (Nasdaq: IAS), the world's leading media measurement and optimization platform, today announced its annual Industry Trends Report. New research reveals that media professionals are cautiously embracing artificial intelligence (AI), centering brand strategy on the evolution of digital video and social media, and reinforcing media quality as the basis for campaign performance. The findings point to a complex media environment that balances innovation with an emphasis on brand protection and performance.
“2026 marks a turning point in digital advertising. As lines between channels blur and AI reshapes how content is created, consumed and measured, industry experts are redefining what quality means in this new era,” said Lisa Utschneider, CEO of Integral Ad Science. “Advertisers and publishers alike recognize the complexity that comes with marketing opportunities such as social media and digital video. The industry’s challenge is to balance digital innovation with control – ensuring that every impression drives trust and performance.”
Marketers recognize challenges but see opportunities in AI
Media experts agree that the potential for generative AI to bring speed, personalization, and scale to campaigns is undeniable, but that power also brings new risks.
- 61% are excited about the advancement of AI in digital media and the opportunities it presents for advertising within gen-AI content.
- 83% believe the rise of AI-generated content on social media is a major concern and requires careful monitoring.
- 84% say third-party verification will be important for identifying and classifying AI-generated content within social media platforms, and 86% say they will look to third-party sources for the ability to identify and classify AI-generated content within digital video platforms as this type of content becomes more prevalent.
Social media and digital video remain at the center of media preferences
Video continues to dominate attention and investment. In 2026, advertisers are scrutinizing the environments in which their messages appear, seeking brand-safe spaces that foster consumer trust and increase brand relevance.
- 88% cite digital video as their top priority, ahead of display and audio.
- 84% agree that social media is a top priority compared to other digital environments.
- 87% say brand safety and influencer or creator suitability are essential when advertising next to digital video content.
- As adjacency risks increase within social media platforms, 82% agree that creator suitability is equally important.
Media quality is the foundation of performance
Despite these changes, media quality remains a fundamental pillar of performance.
- 86% say they need to identify, classify, target, and avoid AI-generated content within digital video platforms.
- 83% agree to ad measurement scamvisibility, and relevance are critical to driving performance outcomes within retail media networks.
- 83% agree with the ad scam Additionally, as the amount of CTV inventory increases, brand suitability becomes a major concern.
- 69% cite ad content adjacency as a key challenge when it comes to advertising on digital media scam Measurements/results rounding out the top three.
- A closer look at content adjacency types reveals that dangerous content, deepfakes, and AI-generated content are the most cited, followed by influencer creator content.
“The use of AI and AI-generated content will explode in 2025, with publishers and advertisers seeking to balance both opportunity and risk,” said Jeremy Kanterman, vice president of research and insights at IAS. “This year's Industry Pulse report reveals a cautious industry looking to prioritize AI oversight in digital media in 2026. The majority of investment still goes to digital video and social platforms, and interest in leveraging, measuring and determining the results of influencer marketing is steadily growing.”
About the IAS Industry Pulse Report
The IAS Industry Pulse Report is an annual survey of digital media professionals that provides an overview of the key trends, emerging technologies and solutions expected to shape the advertising industry in the coming year. Earlier this year, IAS partnered with YouGov to survey nearly 300 U.S. media professionals, including digital advertising professionals and ad tech vendors representing brands, agencies, and publishers, to understand their views on the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead in 2026. Download the full report.
About Integral Ad Science
Integral Ad Science (IAS) is the world's leading media measurement and optimization platform, delivering the industry's most actionable data and delivering superior results for the world's largest advertisers, publishers, and media platforms. IAS' software provides comprehensive, rich data to ensure ads are shown to real people in a safe and relevant environment, while improving return on ad spend for advertisers and revenue for publishers. Our mission is to be the global benchmark for trust and transparency in the quality of digital media. For more information, please visit integrads.com.
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Source Integral Ad Science, Inc.
