Integral Ad Science has published its annual Industry Pulse Report, surveying nearly 300 U.S. media experts on the shifting digital advertising landscape. The findings highlight a cautious embrace of artificial intelligence, with strategies centering on digital video and social media growth while prioritizing media quality and brand protection amid rising AI-generated content risks.
As generative AI accelerates content creation and personalization, media professionals see clear upsides but are tempering enthusiasm with vigilance. The report underscores the dual-edged nature of AI: a tool for efficiency and scale, yet one that demands robust safeguards against misinformation and quality erosion.
"2026 marks a turning point in digital advertising. As the boundaries 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 Integral Ad Science CEO Lisa Utzschneider. "Advertisers and publishers alike recognize that marketing opportunities, like those on social media and digital video, come with complexity. The industry's challenge lies in balancing digital innovation with control — ensuring every impression drives trust and performance."
Survey respondents overwhelmingly support third-party tools for AI detection, with 84% stressing their role in social platforms and 86% in digital video, signaling a push for transparency in an increasingly synthetic media ecosystem.
Video's dominance persists, with experts allocating budgets toward environments that blend engagement and safety. Social media follows closely, but both channels face heightened scrutiny over adjacency risks, including creator suitability and AI influences.
The report reveals that 87% deem brand safety and creator alignment essential for video adjacency, while 82% extend this to social platforms. This focus reflects a maturing approach: leveraging high-reach formats while mitigating reputational hazards through proactive measurement.
Quality metrics — from viewability to fraud prevention — remain non-negotiable, especially as retail media networks and connected TV (CTV) expand. 83% highlight the importance of ad fraud and suitability tracking in retail media, and the same percentage flags these as growing CTV challenges.
Adjacency emerges as a top concern for 69%, with risky content, deepfakes, and AI-generated material leading the list, followed by influencer dynamics. "The use of AI and AI-generated content surged in 2025, leaving publishers and advertisers trying to balance both its opportunities and risks," said Jeremy Kanterman, Vice President of Research and Insights at IAS. "This year's Industry Pulse report reveals a cautious industry looking to prioritize oversight of AI in digital media in 2026, with the bulk of investment still flowing into digital video, social platforms, and a steadily rising interest in using, measuring and determining outcomes around influencer marketing."
These insights position media quality not as a checkbox, but as the bedrock for performance in a fragmented, AI-augmented landscape.
As digital channels evolve, the report advocates for integrated verification strategies that safeguard investments while unlocking AI's full potential, ensuring 2026 campaigns deliver both reach and reliability.
Integral Ad Science (IAS) is a leading global media measurement and optimization platform that delivers the industry's most actionable data to drive superior results for the world's largest advertisers, publishers, and media platforms. IAS's software provides comprehensive and enriched data that ensures ads are seen by real people in safe and suitable environments, while improving return on ad spend for advertisers and yield for publishers. Our mission is to be the global benchmark for trust and transparency in digital media quality. For more information, visit integralads.com.
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